Beat The Clock: A Race Against Time
by Ralph Jr
Summary: After doing some serious thinking, Melissa feels a desire to have children, but Ralph isn't as sure of it as she is. Will they become parents, or are they fated to end up childless?
1. Chapter 1: Happy Birthday To You

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I'm still in the process of writing "Fly By Night"...expect to see Chapter 4 of it very soon. I'll be writing that sometime this week. (Need to do a little bit of brainstorming for that one.) But in the meantime, I've come up with some ideas for a few new fanfics, and I've decided to go ahead and start the shorter of the two right now. I figure it's better to start something when you have it fresh in your mind than to wait around and lose it by the time you say you're going to write it. So here we are.

Anyways, this is my first stab at writing a Raccoons future fanfic, which is a bit odd since the vast majority of fanfics my colleagues have written have taken place after the show ended. I seem to be the first one to actually attempt to take a stab at the past BEFORE the show...I'm still a bit surprised no one really touched it before me. Sets me apart from everyone else. So why am I now writing a future fanfic like everyone else has? Because I want to, of course. If I want to write something I have every right to do so. So anyways, here's another fanfic starring Ralph and Melissa. I know I already wrote one that was quite successful, but I figured, eh, why not write another one? I've liked this couple ever since I first was introduced to this show, but there has been something I've always wondered: Why don't they have any children? Is it that they don't want any, or perhaps they can't have any? Well, it's a children's show, so obviously stuff like that isn't going to be delved into. But, that is what fanfics are for. I know you've already seen kobebeef take on this subject in his "Secrets and Heroes" fanfic, so this might not be an original idea, but I feel like I can offer a good enough take on this. Dive in and find out whether or not Ralph and Melissa will become parents or not. Since this story will be rather on the...emotional side of things (if this turns out as I'm picturing it doing so in my head), I've also added an amusing subplot featuring Bert trying to become a fantasy story-writer. (Because that is DEFINITELY something he would probably do.) So keep your eyes peeled...

Anyways, onto my legal disclaimer as always...

_**Legal Disclaimer For Your Consideration**: I don't own the rights to the Raccoons or any of the characters from the show. There is no way I will ever own the rights to the show or the characters. I do own the rights to a few characters within this fic, use them without my permission and you will suffer a fate FAR worse than death...I also don't own the rights to any songs that might be used within this fic (will be a couple). Any similarities to real people, living or dead, is probably intentional and most likely very unfortunate. With that said, I hope you'll enjoy..._

**Beat The Clock: A Race Against Time**

**CHAPTER ONE: Happy Birthday To You**

Time has passed in the Evergreen Forest.

A few years had gone by and now it was the year 1995 in the Forest. Several things had changed for the Forest and its' denizens. But even so, many things stayed the same...

It was a cold November morning in the Forest, about eight o'clock in the morning. Bert Raccoon and Ralph Raccoon were in the kitchen of their home, the Raccoondominium. Even though some years had passed and he was by now thirty-three years old, Bert was still living with his childhood friend and his wife, Melissa. To Ralph, it seemed as if Bert would never leave the Raccoondominium. It wasn't that he hated Bert or even truly minded having him live there; it was just that he would like a little peace and quiet every now and then. But anyways, the two of them were in the kitchen this morning, making breakfast. It was very unusual for them to be doing so; usually that task was covered by Melissa. But on this particular morning Melissa was not with the guys; she was still asleep in bed. Ralph had woken up early today and had crept out of his bedroom without waking his wife, and had gotten Bert up as well to come help him make breakfast.

Bert was sitting at the table, stirring up a batch of pancake batter in a large bowl, while Ralph was standing before the stove, about to crack open a couple of eggs fresh from the market over a skillet. He happened to be wearing a chef's hat.

"Ah," Ralph said to himself, his voice taking on a rather poor attempt at a French accent. "My specialitie pour le petit dejeuner: oeufs brouilles! Say, how are you coming with les crepes, Monsieur Bert?" he chuckled.

"Fine, fine," Bert said, continuing to stir the batter. "What the hell is it with you and that hat anyways? Every time you put that thing on your head you start acting like some crazy French chef. What is with you?"

Ralph looked taken aback, "Ah? You do not like how I speak?" he asked, continuing to speak in the horrendous faux accent.

Bert shook his head. "No, not at all. It's...it's not natural. Why are you doing that with this anyways? We're making eggs and pancakes, not some four-star gourmet meal. I swear, I think that hat is possessed by the spirit of some long dead French chef and every time you put it on your head, his spirit possesses you. I don't want to know what would happen if I put that hat on _my _head."

Ralph shot a funny look at Bert. "Now you're just being silly, Bert. There's no such thing as ghosts. You watched too many of those weird movies again," he laughed as he removed the hat from his head.

"Well, I did see _The Exorcist_ last month right before Halloween," Bert admitted, "and well, I don't think I want anything like that to happen to you, Ralphie boy. That movie's probably the scariest thing I've ever seen. I don't think I've been that scared in a very long time." Time had not changed Bert a whole lot. Even if he was a little more responsible than he used to be, he was still his silly and goofy self. That was who he was and it was clear that aspect of him would likely never change.

"Oh, I remember," Ralph chuckled as he cracked open the eggs. "You couldn't sleep at all that night."

"Oh yeah," Bert sighed. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned. Bert had never been much of a morning person and he didn't particularly like being awake at this particular hour. "Geez, I _hate_ being up this early in the morning," he yawned again as he walked over to Ralph's old radio and flicked it on. "Maybe some music'll help me feel more alive at this time of day."

"You're listening to 95.7, the Evergreen Forest's only Golden Oldies radio station," shouted a disc jockey who sounded pretty much like a complete jerk, "and up next here, we've got a good old song I'm sure all of you children of the 1970s remember! Those of you who were into the glam rock scene, I'm sure you'll recognize this one!" Sure enough, an old song began playing on the radio.

"_You look in his eyes, don't be surprised,_

_If you don't know what's going on behind his disguise!_

_Nobody knows, where Buster goes_

_He'll steal your woman out from under your nose!_"

Bert had to laugh at the song playing on the radio. "Haha, the Sour," he smirked. "This was my favorite band when I was growing up. Or one of 'em, anyways. My, how times have changed..." he sighed, reminiscing on his childhood memories. They seemed so distant to him now...

"Uh, Bert, if you don't mind, could you please turn that off?" Ralph turned around and asked Bert.

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want to wake Melissa up. Do you remember why we're down here in the first place?" Ralph quizzed him.

"Yeah, yeah, of course I do," Bert replied as he switched the radio off. "I didn't forget, Ralph. Today's Melissa's birthday, and you've decided to surprise her by making breakfast for her-for once." Bert was correct, today was indeed November 25th-Melissa's birthday. Today she was turning thirty-five years old.

"Yes," Ralph nodded, "I thought it would be a nice surprise. She makes breakfast for the three of us all the time; I thought it'd be nice to let her have a rest and make it for her instead."

"Boy, you've really got a lot of stuff planned for Melissa today," Bert laughed, "you're making breakfast for her; you took the day off from the _Standard_ to spend with her; you and me hunted down that special gift you wanted to get for her; and to top it all off you're taking her out to dinner at the Blue Spruce Cafe." Bert chuckled again as he began pouring the batter onto a skillet which he placed on the stove. "Sure beats last year when you forgot her birthday altogether, doesn't it?"

"Oh, don't remind me," Ralph groaned. Last year, he had totally forgotten his wife's birthday. He was usually pretty good at remembering special dates; Melissa had only asked him to remember Christmas, Valentine's Day, her birthday, and their wedding anniversary. Four days out of 365 or 366, depending on whether or not it was a leap year, should have been pretty easy to remember. But he had forgotten and Melissa had been very disappointed in him. Ralph had gotten yelled at by her and it took a couple of days for her to calm down for the two of them to make up with each other. Ralph was, needless to say, _very_ embarrassed he'd done that. He'd vowed not to do it again this year; he planned to make it up to her if he could. "That was not a very fun experience. So I'm doing everything I can to make today a very special day for her, to make up for the day she didn't get to have last year."

"Good on ya, Ralphie boy," Bert chuckled as he began flipping the pancakes. "Huh, thirty-five years old," Bert suddenly laughed to himself. "Why, she's practically an old lady now!"

Ralph was taken aback at Bert's rather rude comment. "Bert, Melissa is _not_ an old lady by any means. Thirty-five isn't that old!"

"But it's not that young, either," Bert quipped. "She's a year older than you, Ralph."

"So?" Ralph didn't see why that would matter. "I don't care if she's a year older than me. It doesn't matter to me; I still love her. To me, she'll always be beautiful," he proudly grinned.

"Huh, easy for you to say, you're her husband!" Bert remarked.

"Besides, Bert, Melissa may be a year older than me, but you're _eleven_ years older than Lisa," Ralph retorted.

"Ouch." Ralph had gotten Bert there. "Point taken." The passing years had not done anything to quell Bert's feelings for Lisa; he was still smitten. However, things hadn't gone as he hoped they would; they were still only just friends. Still, Bert always had his dreams...

"And besides, Bert, if thirty-five is old, you're not really one to talk. You're only fourteen months younger than she is."

"Hey, don't you know, Ralph?" Bert laughed as he flipped the pancakes some more. "Thirty-three is the new twenty!" At that moment, one of the pancakes flew up and hit the ceiling. "Oh dear..." Bert moaned as he realized what had just happened.

Ralph sighed in frustration as the pancake came back down and landed on his head. He just didn't know about Bert sometimes...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, upstairs, Melissa Raccoon was slowly starting to rise from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes as she yawned and stretched her arms.<p>

"Good morning, Ralph," she said as she rolled over to greet her husband...but much to her surprise, no one was there next to her. She was all alone.

"Ralph?" Melissa asked, puzzled as to where he could be. "Where are you, Ralph?" This was very rare. Melissa usually woke up before Ralph did. The only time he would wake up before she did was if he wanted to get down to the _Standard_ bright and early...and he would usually wake her up in that case. But this time, he hadn't...

"He's at the _Standard_ already, and he didn't even bother waking me up to tell me he was going down there," she muttered to herself, starting to get angry. Sure, Melissa did love her job working as the paper's photographer, but she had always loved her husband more than she did her job. She would eagerly pick Ralph over her career were she forced to choose between one or the other. Sometimes, she couldn't help but feel that Ralph was the opposite of her; that he loved his career more than he did her. A time like this seemed to prove that. "The nerve of him..."

Suddenly, it dawned on her. Today was November 25th...her birthday. And Ralph was nowhere in sight. "_He said he was going to keep the _Standard_ closed today for my birthd__ay..._" she thought to herself, the anger inside her rising rapidly. "_And he went anyways! Not to mention, he said he would surprise me after he forgot my birthday last year..."_

Melissa could hardly keep her fury to herself. "Ralph's forgotten my birthday **AGAIN**. That's two years in a row!" she hissed, realizing what had apparently happened. With that, Melissa angrily threw the covers off of herself as she stomped out of bed. She hurriedly dressed herself, throwing off her nightgown as she quickly put on the sweater she usually wore in the cold months in place of her usual tank top. She didn't even bother combing her hair, brushing her teeth, or really cleaning herself up; she didn't care that she looked a rather dreadful mess. Ralph had really pissed her off this morning.

"I'm going down to the _Standard_ to give my stupid husband a piece of my mind," she growled under her breath as she threw open the bedroom door and slammed it behind her. "I don't like yelling at him, but it's the only way I think I can get through to him at a time like this. I don't like feeling ignored..." she said to herself as she stormed down the stairs. It seemed poor Ralph was about to get an earful...

Melissa marched her way towards the kitchen. "I guess I'll have a cup of coffee before I go down there and chew him out..." she muttered angrily as she stormed into the kitchen...but what she saw in there surprised the hell out of her.

Bert and Ralph were waiting for her, sitting at the kitchen table. Before them sat a few plates, containing pancakes and scrambled eggs.

"Surprise!" the two of them shouted in unison. "Happy birthday, Melissa!"

Melissa, needless to say, _was_ quite surprised. She wasn't quite sure what to say or how to react. "Ralph...what's all this?" she managed to ask after a few moments.

"First of all, happy birthday, honey," Ralph answered as he got up from the table and greeted her with a kiss. "I didn't forget this year, see?" he smiled.

"I definitely see," Melissa replied, "and, thank you for not forgetting this year, but, Ralph, what is all this for?" she repeated herself.

"Oh, well ya see, Melissa," Bert responded, "Ralphie boy had a little plan to surprise ya, and he roped me into helping him out."

"Bert and I made you breakfast," Ralph grinned.

"You made me breakfast?" Melissa did feel quite flattered. "Ralph, honey, that's very nice of you and Bert. But why did you do it?"

"Well," Ralph replied, "you always make breakfast for us. Every morning. And I don't think we show our appreciation for you as often as we should. So I thought it'd be a nice idea if I made breakfast for you for a change."

"But you two didn't have to make me breakfast," Melissa answered, "I mean, I don't mind cooking for you two at all, you didn't have to do that..."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts!" Bert chimed in.

Truthfully, Melissa was a bit unsure on whether or sure she should actually eat the breakfast they'd made for her, as she knew her husband was not a very good cook (even though he sometimes claimed to be, the cooking gene George had inherited was not a shared gene between the two brothers), and Bert, while not an awful cook, had a tendency to add peanut butter to everything he made. But she realized that Bert was right, the fact that they thought enough to actually go to the trouble of making her breakfast did count. "You're right, Bert. It _is_ the thought that counts. Thanks for making me breakfast, Ralph," she smiled.

"No problem, Melissa," Ralph smiled back. "C'mon. Let's have our breakfast," he said as he pulled up a chair for her.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Bert realized he'd forgotten something. "I forgot to put peanut butter on the eggs!" He dashed up from the table and quickly produced a jar of peanut butter which he proceeded to pour onto the eggs. "_THERE _we go!"

"Oh geez..." Ralph sighed as he and Melissa shook their heads. Bert and his peanut butter, sometimes...

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Bert, Ralph and Melissa were sitting at the kitchen table again, gathered around a fairly large cake. Presents were gathered around the cake as well.<p>

"So tell me," Melissa wondered, "where did you get all the presents?"

Ralph fielded that question. "Oh, well, Melissa, remember yesterday when I said we needed some good scenery photos for a piece in next week's edition?"

Melissa nodded. "Yes, I do. I think I got some pretty good shots, don't you remember?"

Ralph smiled. "Yes, but it turns out we don't need those photos after all."

Bert chuckled. "We were trying to get you out of the _Standard_ for the day so everyone could bring their presents! George made the cake."

Melissa felt disappointed at first realizing those pictures were taken for nothing, but she soon realized that this had been a pretty clever plan they had come up with. "How clever of the two of you," she remarked. "_Besides, I can always save those pictures for the next book I publish,_" she thought to herself.

"Now, Melissa," Bert emphatically remarked as he lighted the candles atop the cake, "be sure to make a wish when you blow out the candles! If you tell us what it is, it won't come true!"

Ralph stared at Bert skeptically. "And if she doesn't it will?"

"Of course, Ralphie boy! Every wish I've ever made has always come true!"

Ralph sighed. "You don't really still believe in that, do you...?"

Bert nodded. Of course Bert would always cling to some of his childish beliefs. It was a part of who he was.

Melissa chuckled. "Oh, you guys, stop it. There's no need to argue about it."

Ralph and Bert agreed. It was pretty silly to have an argument over a birthday cake...

The two of them both sang "Happy Birthday" to Melissa as she blew out the candles on her cake.

"So, Melissa," Bert queried her, "how does it feel to be thirty-five?"

"How does it feel to be thirty-five?" Melissa repeated. She thought for a moment as she grabbed her first present. "Well, honestly, Bert, not much different than it did to be thirty-four, or even thirty-three," she admitted.

"Just think about it," Bert grinned, "in only five more years you'll be over the hill!"

Melissa laughed, "Oh Bert, that's enough. You're only as young as you feel you are!" She took a look at the note on the present. "Huh, what do you know, it's from Cedric and Sophia." A lot had changed for Cedric in the past few years. Sophia had come back to the forest from the city and she and Cedric had gotten married about a year ago. Cedric had also taken over full control of Sneer Enterprises, as Cyril had been forced to step down as he had suffered a stroke that had left him paralyzed on one side of his body. Thus, he was no longer able to help run the company, so Cedric had taken over. It'd been a bit of a trying year-and-a-half on his own, but Cedric was starting to get the hang of things. "I wonder what they got me..." Melissa wondered.

"Well, open it up and find out," Ralph replied.

Melissa opened up the package to find a new set of hairbrushes, with a note attached. "Dear Melissa, I hope you'll enjoy these new hairbrushes we sent to you. It was Sophia's idea to start a cosmetics division of the company, and I thought you might like to try some of the newest brushes straight off the assembly line. Hope you enjoy, regards, Cedric Sneer." She smiled. She wasn't actively interested in beauty like some people she knew were, but it was a nice gift. "Huh. I'll have to thank them for this later."

Melissa slowly made her way through her presents. Schaeffer had gotten her a cuckoo clock he had built all by himself. George had sent her a rather embarrassing card he'd gotten at the store, to go along with the cake. Nicole had bought Melissa a brand new camera to replace her old one, which was starting to show its' age. Lisa had sent her a sweater. Her father, Mike, had sent her a card and some flowers. At last she came to Ralph's present, as she'd decided to save her husband's gift for last. "I'm certain you'll like this one, honey," he noted.

"Hmm, I wonder what it could be?" Melissa slowly opened it. "Why, it's the new tea set I told you I wanted! I've wanted this since I saw it advertised on TV! Oh Ralph, thank you!" She pulled Ralph in for a hug. "Thank you very much, Ralph. But I heard that this was all sold out. How'd you ever manage to find it?"

"Well, it wasn't easy," Ralph sheepishly admitted.

"Damn, he isn't kidding," Bert added, "we had to hunt everywhere all over the Forest! And no place had this...and then it turned out Mr. Willow had this in his storeroom. Don't know why we didn't go there in the first place. That was the day we said we were going hiking, remember, Ralph?"

"Yeah, I remember. We weren't actually hiking."

"Well, thank you Ralph. I love the gift," Melissa smiled.

"It's not all I've got for you, Melissa," Ralph responded, "I also got us a reservation at the Blue Spruce Cafe for a dinner for two."

"Dinner for two...? Ralph, you don't have to do that for me. We can have dinner right here at home."

"But Melissa, it _is_ the thought that counts, you know. I'm sure a nice dinner out would be nice, wouldn't it honey?" Ralph asked.

"Hmm, well, alright Ralph. You're right, it is the thought that counts," Melissa replied.

"Wait a minute!" Bert shouted. "You haven't opened either my present or Bentley's yet!"

"Oh, I didn't even notice there was more." Bert handed her a small present. "I wonder what this could be..." She tore open the wrapping paper to find that Bert had bought her...Sir Malcolm Havelock's latest book, _The Lanterns Of Gethaine._ "Oh, uh...it's very nice, Bert." Every year, Bert always seemed to buy her one of Havelock's books, hoping she would read them. Bert remembered that she had said she was not particularly fond of his works, so he was apparently trying to get her to read the books to change her mind. But Melissa had already read one of Havelock's books. And truthfully, she didn't really like it. Adventure novels had never really been her thing. "I'll be sure to read it, Bert."

"Oh, boy!" Bert had a feeling she would finally be interested in Havelock. "Now, all that's left is Bentley's present."

Melissa opened the last present to find that...

...Bentley had bought her a large, rather hideous looking, corked-up jug. There was a tag attached to the jug.

"From Cheapskates 'R' Us: imported cheap French perfume straight from gay ol' Paris," she read. "Seven dollars (plus tax)." Melissa sighed. Bentley was a good kid, but he had already gained a bit of a reputation of being rather...well, cheap with his presents.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Bert asked her. Melissa hesitantly removed the cork from the jug and took a whiff of the "perfume" inside. It was one of the worst aromas she'd ever had the misfortune to smell. It smelled even worse that that "Success" cologne Cyril Sneer had once tried to make her and her friends advertise for him. This stuff was potentially lethal. She barely suppressed the urge to clench her nose to keep out the stench. Melissa hurriedly put the cork back in its place. "_For goodness sake, I really hope Bentley doesn't buy his mother gifts like this...and I really hope he doesn't plan on buying them for his girlfriend__..._" she thought to herself. "Well, it is the thought that counts," she said. "I guess I'll save this for a special occasion..." "_I'll probably just throw it out,_" she thought.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Ralph and Melissa were returning home to the Raccoondominium from their dinner at the Blue Spruce Cafe. It had been a lovely occasion. Ralph had opted to give Melissa a nice candlelight dinner. She had always found those very romantic, so she had really appreciated that. Ralph had even read her a poem that he had recently written for her, appropriately titled "To My Lovely Wife." It had been quite a while since he had actually written a poem for her, so she had definitely appreciated Ralph's loving gesture. He had certainly gone all out planning a romantic birthday for her. It was times like these she really felt lucky to have someone like Ralph.<p>

Ralph slowly led his wife upstairs to their bedroom. She realized that Bert was not here. He had offered to leave them alone tonight by staying elsewhere. Tonight, Bert had decided to spend the night over at George and Nicole's place. George and Nicole had decided to go on vacation this weekend, and they wouldn't be back until Monday. So Bert figured he'd spend the night with his "little buddy" Bentley, who certainly wasn't little anymore. Bentley was now a teenager; he was now seventeen years old and almost the same size as Bert. He had really hit a growth spurt in his teenaged years. Melissa felt that Bert and Bentley would probably be having a lot of fun together tonight. They always seemed to get along quite well.

Ralph opened the door to their bedroom as Melissa followed him.

"Well, Melissa," Ralph smiled as he took off his old coat and hung it up on the rack, "I really hope you've had a nice birthday."

"Oh, believe me, honey, I have," Melissa laughed as she took off the denim jacket Ralph had gotten her for Christmas and hung it up as well, "I've had a lovely day today. You know, it's been a really long time since you've actually written a poem for me," she softly smiled. "I really appreciate that, Ralph."

"It was my pleasure," Ralph grinned. "I think this certainly makes up for last year, doesn't it?"

"Most definitely," Melissa agreed. "You know, the funny thing is this morning I thought you went off to the _Standard_ and forgot my birthday again. I was ready to give you a _real_ earful. Wasn't that silly of me?" she chuckled.

"Well, it was just a simple misunderstanding," her husband shrugged.

"Anyways, Ralph, thanks for the lovely evening. I really had a good birthday. I couldn't thank you enough."

"Ah, but Melissa," Ralph said, his voice taking on a rather seducing tone, "you know, your birthday isn't over yet."

Melissa was confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, honey," Ralph said, grinning a bit mischievously, "I do have one more present for you. I figured right now would be a good time to show it to you. It's a real surprise. Would you like to find out what it is?"

Melissa was now curious of her husband's offer. "Well, sure thing, Ralph. I happen to really like surprises," she smiled.

"Well," Ralph cheekily winked at her, "come follow me and I'll show it to you." Melissa had a feeling Ralph was up to something a bit mischievous, which was a bit out of the norm for him. But she was eager to find out what her surprise was.

"Okay," Melissa replied as Ralph took her paw and led her towards their bed, when he suddenly stumbled over it.

"WOAH!" Ralph shouted as he fell over onto the bed backwards. Melissa also lost her balance and wound up on top of Ralph.

"Heheh, clumsy me, right?" Ralph smirked as he started to laugh.

"Oh yes," Melissa laughed as well. She knew Ralph had meant to do that. She was pretty certain she knew what Ralph's surprise for her was. It was rather rare for him to try to romance her...

"Well, honey, if you're looking for your surprise, it's right here beneath you," Ralph said, his grin growing in size. "Your special present is...me! Your loving husband." He paused and looked deep into her soulful blue eyes. "Tell me, what do you think? Do you like it?"

Melissa grinned widely as well. "Do I like it...? I love it. It's the best present you could give to me, Ralph. A gift that keeps on giving," she chuckled. It was rare that Ralph actually seduced her (usually it was her doing that since he was a bit on the slow side), but it certainly was working.

"Well, then..." Ralph said as he wrapped his arms tightly around her back and pulled her into a kiss. "Wow," Ralph said as he pulled away. "Thirty-five years old and _still_ the sexiest woman I've ever known in my life. If anything, I think you're growin' hotter the older we get..." he lustfully smiled up at her. Ralph rarely used words like that to describe her, but they were definitely a turn-on.

"Well," Melissa beamed as she yanked Ralph by his scarf, "why don't I show you some of what _I've _learned over the years, heheh..." With that, the two of them embraced each other tightly and started to passionately kiss once more.

Melissa certainly had to admit, this was a _much_ better birthday than last year...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Bert was reclining on George and Nicole's couch, watching the television. He had decided to be nice tonight and spend the night over here to allow Ralph and Melissa some alone time with each other. He knew they already had a pretty active romantic life. It was part of the reason why Bert always got up "at the crack of noon", as Ralph had once jokingly proclaimed. Some nights, he didn't get to sleep until late because he'd heard the two of them at it from their room across the hall. Tonight, he figured it would be best to let them have some time alone where he couldn't possibly interrupt them. After all, he knew Ralph was trying to give her a romantic birthday, so he had a feeling tonight would probably be pretty wild between the two of them. Bert had to admit, it would be nice to get a good night's sleep...<p>

Bert slowly flipped through the channels. Even to this day, Bert was still just a teeny bit envious of Ralph. Ralph had done much worse with the ladies than he had in his school days. Bert had no trouble picking up chicks, while poor Ralph just couldn't seem to get any, no matter how hard he had tried. But things had completely flip-flopped over the years. Ralph had ended up getting the girl of his dreams and here they were, tonight, probably...no, _certainly_ sharing a special moment with each other. Bert, on the other hand, found himself unable to get the girl of his dreams, Lisa. As mentioned, the passing years had done absolutely nothing to stifle his feelings for her. She was now twenty-two years old, fresh out of graduating from college. She was now living on her own out in the Forest, living close to the Evergreen Lake. She had recently taken a job teaching at the recently renovated Evergreen Elementary, as she wanted to help the young children of the Forest get into shape early on as she had heard childhood obesity was a growing epidemic. Bert had known her closely for almost six years now, and still he was in love with her. He would often drop by the elementary school when he had the chance to visit her, often while she was coaching the kids. She knew how he felt about her. She _had_ to know. But yet, no matter what, she seemed to not take notice of his feelings for her. She always seemed to just remain friendly with him. Not once had she ever even flirted with him. So Bert still couldn't help but be a little jealous of his old friend. Ralph had his dream girl. Bert, however, could never seem to get his. All he really had to go on were his dreams and fantasies...

"_That Ralph. Such a lucky bastard..._" Bert thought to himself. He wondered if it all had to do with the impression he had made on her when he had first gotten to really know her, when he had come on to her too strongly. "_First impressions really DO count a whole lot__..._" Bert sighed. But he still remained hopeful. "_She'll come around before too long. I know she will._" He could still always cling to hope...

Bert turned off the TV. There wasn't anything really exciting on television anyways. He'd figured by coming over here he could have some fun with Bentley. Even though Bentley was now seventeen, he was still always Bert's "little buddy". A few things had changed for Bentley in the past few years. In the past year alone, Bentley had gotten a girlfriend; none other than Annie Ringtail, the raccoon girl who had long had a crush on him. Bert remembered that she had gotten on Bentley's nerves often when they were younger and Bentley had often boldly proclaimed he strongly disliked her. But Bentley couldn't fool his pal. Bert remembered Ralph acting a bit of the same way when he had first met Melissa...and he knew Ralph had just been denying it. He knew that Bentley would eventually come to his senses and realized that he actually loved her. And that had happened. Bert had been proud of his little buddy for getting a girlfriend, but he noticed that he seemed to spend a bit more time with her than he did with him. He had hoped Bentley might have a fun video game they could play together tonight (since today was a Saturday, Bentley didn't have school tomorrow), but instead, he had invited Annie to come study with him tonight. Presumably, that was what they were upstairs doing...

But Bert did at least have a little bit of company tonight. He had brought a new book he had purchased when he had gotten Malcolm Havelock's book for Melissa's birthday, the latest in a fairly new fantasy series. "Ah, here we go," Bert said as he pulled the book out and took a look at the cover. "_The Warriors On The Edge Of Time, Book Three: The Psychedelic Warlord_. By Michael Moorhen." Bert had only just discovered this series earlier this year, but he was already hooked on it...

Bert opened the book to the page he'd been on when he'd last read it. The _Warriors On The Edge Of Time_ series contained the adventures of three brave intergalactic raccoon heroes: the brave and fearless, if somewhat loony, space knight Altair, the mild mannered and meek, but highly intelligent Deneb, who possessed psychic powers of considerable prowess, and Vega, a highly passionate and spirited space warrior who was a master at using a ray gun and also happened to be Deneb's wife. Bert took a look at the illustration on the page. "Isn't it amazing?" he wondered aloud. "Altair, Deneb, and Vega look just like myself, Ralph, and Melissa." They really and truly did. The resemblance was rather astonishing.

Bert thought back on the series so far. In Book One, _The Master Of The Universe_, Altair and Deneb had tried to take on the great space wizard Arcturus, but had failed mightily and been forced to seek shelter on a distant planet. There, they had met Vega, who volunteered to help the two of them rid the galaxy of the alien menace. They defeated Arcturus using their combined strength, and along the way Deneb and Vega had fallen in love. In Book Two, _The Kings Of Speed_, a few years had passed and Deneb and Vega had decided to get married, but their wedding plans were interrupted when Earth was invaded by the space pirate Pollux, who conquered the planet with his speedy minions, but the trio were again able to persevere and conquer the intergalactic menace. Now, in Book Three, so far Deneb and Vega were getting used to married life when the planet was attacked by the multicolored space cyclops Fomalhaut. Bert couldn't wait to see whether or not they would be able to crush Fomalhaut or not.

"I wish my life was like theirs..." Bert sighed as he drifted off into his fantasy world...

Suddenly, Bert found himself aboard a space craft traveling through the cosmos. Ralph and Melissa were there too. In his mind, he quickly realized that he, Ralph, and Melissa had become Altair, Deneb, and Vega, and that they had become the Warriors on the Edge of Time.

"Altair," Ralph/Deneb asked his friend. "Fomalhaut is too powerful and he has put the entire planet in peril. What do you suppose we should do?"

Bert/Altair thought to himself. "I say we should set a course for the planet Beta Centauri C. I've heard there is an old hermit there who knows the secret to stopping space cyclopes from causing total devastation!"

"But what if he doesn't know anything about how to stop them?" Melissa/Vega asked. "I mean, you _did _say he is a hermit..."

"Yes," Deneb agreed, "and what should we do then?"

Altair laughed. "Well, then, we'll stop Fomalhaut the same way we usually would stop evildoers: by blindly putting faith in ourselves and fighting like it were our last day alive!" he boldly exclaimed.

Deneb and Vega shook their heads. Altair could be so full of himself sometimes...

Bert returned to reality from his brief little fantasy. "Ah, Michael Moorhen, you are a genius..." he smiled. "You're my second favorite author besides Sir Malcolm Havelock." He closed the book, figuring he'd save the rest for later. "Say," he wondered, "I wonder if Bentley and Annie would be up for reading that?" He remembered reading the first book together with his little buddy, and Bentley did tell him he had read the second book by himself. He didn't know if Bentley had read the third one yet, though.

"I suppose I'll go upstairs and show them the book," Bert smiled as he slowly crept his way up the stairs. He knocked lightly on Bentley's door, which was closed.

"Uh, Bert!" Bentley shouted, sounding quite surprised. "If I were you, I wouldn't come in right now. Maybe later?"

Bert was curious. "You two got something going on in there?"

"Uh, no," Annie meekly replied.

"Hmm..." Bert thought to himself. "_You know what, I'm going to see what those two are up to anyways..._" he thought to himself. With that, Bert flung open Bentley's door...to find his little buddy and his girlfriend engaged in, well, a make-out session.

"AH! Bert, I told you not to come in," Bentley shrieked, embarrassed.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Annie frantically shouted.

"Yeah, uh, Annie and I were studying for, um..." Bentley quickly tried to think up an excuse.

"Studying for our CPR course!" Annie quickly replied. "Yes, we were just practicing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!"

"Huh, if you say so," Bert said as he closed the door. Bentley was obviously a little too preoccupied to read the book right now. Bert chuckled as he made his way downstairs. "Heheh, what do you know...'studying' hasn't changed one bit since I was in high school!"

* * *

><p>It was now about three in the morning at the Raccoondominium. And one female raccoon found herself unable to sleep...<p>

Melissa was lying back, under the quilts, staring up at the ceiling. Ralph was fast asleep, snuggled up against her, his arm gently draped around her waist. She could feel him softly breathing against her neck. She did feel quite comfortable, but oddly enough, she just could not sleep...

Melissa thought about the events of the previous day. Her birthday. Ralph had really and truly gone all out for her. He had made breakfast for her. He had gotten her that new tea set she had mentioned that she had her heart set upon. He had taken her out for a lovely candlelight dinner and read a poem to her. And to top it all off, he had given her a _really_ fun time...sure, she and Ralph did have an active love life, but it had been quite a while since he had shown her _that_ much passion. Even though a few hours had passed since then, it still brought a huge smile to her face. She was already looking forward to seeing what he would cook up for their anniversary next year, which would mark their twelfth year of marriage. It was hard to believe they'd been married that long...it didn't seem like it had been that long.

There were times in the past year she had wondered if Ralph didn't love her as much as he used to when they were a little younger. He seemed to be very focused on his work lately, a bit more so than ever. At times he did seem a little distant. Plus they had a few hardships during that time. This spring, Ralph's father, Arthur, had finally given up the ghost and passed away. Another heart attack in his sleep had finally put him out of his suffering. He had been in ill health for a long time, so it was nice to know he wasn't suffering anymore. But still, it had saddened Ralph. He and his father had never been on the best of terms, but Art still was his father and he did love him. The funeral had been quite hard on him. In addition, in the past summer they had made the decision to start using computers at the _Standard_, and Ralph...needless to say, was not very proficient with computers at all. He didn't really understand how they worked and he had a hard time adjusting to the new technology. He was getting better at using them, but he still wasn't quite there yet. More often than not, Bert had to help him since he had learned a few things from Bentley. At times like these, Ralph did seem a bit distant. But days like this removed all doubt in Melissa's mind; Ralph still loved her very much, and he always would. And she would always feel the same, too. She was proud to be Ralph's wife.

Melissa's thoughts also turned to her career. She had become rather renowned as a photographer over the past decade. When she had decided to publish a book of some of her photographs, it had gotten some very good reviews and she had even gotten a job offer to work for the _World_ _Times_ magazine. It had been an interesting job offer, but she didn't really want the job as she felt too at home in the Forest. She didn't want to have to leave her friends, her home, or her husband for long periods of time. They were too close to her heart and she would have missed them dreadfully. Plus she had found them to be quite unethical; they had a policy that reporters and photographers were not allowed to interfere with the story they were assigned to in any way, shape, or form, even if someone's life was in danger. This might not have bothered some people, but Melissa was far too kind-hearted. If someone was in trouble, she would always try to help. Needless to say, she was quite glad she hadn't ended up working for them. Over the past few years, Melissa had published a few more books; she was now up to four books published, and likely to work on a fifth one in the coming new year. She had received many more offers from several prestigious newspapers and magazines to take jobs with them, but she always turned them down. She could never leave the Forest or those there she loved. Even so, she was quite proud of her career.

Melissa surely had to be proud of herself. She knew she was living a happier life than many other women in the Forest, and indeed, the rest of the world itself. She had a loving husband who thought the world of her and a successful career that brought her joy as well. She knew quite a few other women who didn't have either of those. She knew there were some out there in the Forest who envied her life and would have gladly traded places with her given the opportunity; Lady Baden-Baden being one of them. Melissa knew she should be grateful for what she had; she had an almost perfect life. But somehow, lately...she had started to feel that something was missing in her life. It just felt to her that there was something that was supposed to be there that she did not have. She couldn't even begin to guess at what it was or why she should even feel this way. She didn't know what to think about it. Was this what they called a mid-life crisis? The feeling of having something unfulfilled in life? But she was only thirty-five, not forty-five...thirty-five wasn't quite midway through life...or was it? She didn't know, but this had kept her up at night several times and here it was keeping her up again.

She glanced at Ralph. She felt at a time like this, she needed someone to talk to. But she didn't want to wake her sleeping husband. He seemed so calm, so peaceful in his sleep. But she remembered what he had said to her once. "Melissa, if you're ever feeling down in life, you can always talk to me. I'll always lend an ear to your problems." That had been when they were dating. She didn't want to wake him, but, she did want someone to talk to right now...

Melissa gently whispered into Ralph's ear. "Ralph, wake up. Please?"

No response. Ralph hardly stirred in his sleep. Of course, she knew Ralph was a bit of a heavy sleeper...

Melissa lightly tapped Ralph on his nose, hoping to rouse him. "Please, Ralph, honey, wake up..." she said, a bit louder than last time.

Ralph stirred a bit, but he didn't wake up. "Mmm...Melissa..." he softly moaned in his sleep, tightening his grip on her. It was obvious he was dreaming about her.

She wanted him to wake up, so she resorted to something she didn't want to do..."Ralph! Wake up, wake up!" she shouted at him.

Ralph jolted awake with a start. "AAAH! I'm up honey, I'm up, I'm up!" He turned his gaze towards his wife. "What's the matter, Melissa? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, Ralph," Melissa replied, her voice sounding more calm. "It's not that. It's just that...I can't sleep, Ralph."

"Oh. Well, what's wrong? I thought you had a good birthday. Is something bothering you? I'm all ears right now," Ralph sympathetically responded.

"Ralph, I did have a good birthday, thank you very much, but...I've been doing a lot of thinking lately..." she admitted.

"About what?" he wondered.

"Ralph...have you ever felt like there was something missing in your life? Like there was a void in your life but you didn't know what could fill it?"

"Huh?" Ralph was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, have you ever felt as if there was something in your life that should be there, but for whatever reason, it isn't?" Melissa earnestly asked.

"Well," Ralph admitted, "not since I met you and not since we opened up the _Standard_. Why do you ask? Do you feel like there's something missing in your life, honey?"

"Yes," Melissa sighed. "I've felt this way for a little while now. I don't know what it is that could be missing. I mean, I have a wonderful life as it is, but it just feels like something is not there. Help me, Ralph. What should I do?"

Ralph was unsure how to exactly help her in this situation. "I...I don't know, dear. I'm not sure how I could even begin to help you out there."

"You could think of _something._"

"I suppose you'll have to figure what it is that's missing and then figure out how to get it. That's what I did when I felt that way. I really don't know how else I can help you, sorry Melissa. I wish I could help..." He placed his warm paw on top of hers. He couldn't help but wonder if Melissa was having one of those mid-life crises...

"It's alright," Melissa sighed. "I'm sorry I woke you, Ralph, I just felt I needed to talk to you about it. I couldn't wait until the morning."

"Well, it's no problem," Ralph smiled. "But let's try to get some sleep now, honey. We can sleep in a bit tomorrow since it's a Sunday, remember? No work tomorrow."

"Right, right," Melissa nodded.

"Well, good night, Melissa," Ralph said as he kissed her. "I'm sure you'll be able to work out your problem if you put your mind to it."

"I hope so..." Melissa replied, sounding unsure. "Night, Ralph."

Melissa sighed as she eventually drifted off into a rather restless sleep...

**END CHAPTER ONE**

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE: **Well, there's chapter 1 of "Beat The Clock"...an interesting start to the story. Melissa is beginning to feel a void in her otherwise happy life. Of course, you already know the plot, so you pretty much know what she's going to decide that void is...not having children. But that'll come in later chapters. As I said this story will definitely take a turn towards the emotional side of things in later chapters, so hope you have some tissues ready...I'm kidding, I'm kidding, but still, do be forewarned. I think this was a fairly good introduction to the two plots, as we also see Bert's fantasy life and the beginning of his little subplot. THAT will be a lot of fun. Now, time for some notes.

The little song Bert listens to on the radio...vintage hit from 1973 by the Sweet. "Block-Buster!" Awesome song. The Sweet have the honor of being my guilty pleasure (I say guilty pleasure because I happen to be a bit of an intellectual and someone of my intelligence should naturally hate music like this) band, and I, needless to say, have been listening to a bunch of their stuff lately. (I have _Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be _and _Sweet Fanny Adams_, their first two albums (in England only) packaged together as an import.) "Block-Buster!" was a #1 hit in early 1973 in the UK, but didn't fare as well in America...barely making the top 100 in the US and Canada. A shame, I really like this song. I can easily see Bert being into the glam rock scene when he was younger. With an imagination like his, it just seems like it would be his kind of thing.

Michael Moorhen, the fantasy writer Bert is taking an interest in, is a name parody of fantasy/sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock, probably most famous for writing the "Jerry Cornelius" series as well as various other sci-fi works, and also for collaborating with the 1970s' space-rock band Hawkwind, probably most famous for launching the career of Ian Kilmister, aka "Lemmy", who you might know for having gone on to front the band Motorhead. The books are all named after Hawkwind songs (gee, I _really_ take my rock fandom seriously), and the series itself is named after the band's 1975 album _Warrior On The Edge Of Time_. How would I describe this band's music...it really does sound like music you would hear if you were flying through space. "Psychedelic warlords" indeed. As for the characters, they're all named for stars in the sky: Altair is a star in the constellation Aquila ("The Eagle"), Deneb is a star in the constellation Cygnus ("The Swan"), and Vega is a star in the constellation Lyra ("The Lyre"). There's a reason I'd choose those as the names for the starring characters in the novel...these three stars together make up the vertices of the Summer Triangle. So they would make fitting names for a trio of adventurers. As for the villainous characters, Arcturus is a star in the constellation Bootes ("The Herdsman"), Pollux is a star in the constellation Gemini ("The Twins"), and Fomalhaut is a star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus ("The Southern Fish"). Interestingly enough Pollux and Fomalhaut have been discovered to have planets orbiting them. Yes, I do know my astronomy (I've always loved astronomy), and obviously Moorhen is someone big on astronomy as well. Obviously Bert is getting the idea to try to write his own novel...

For some little things in the fanfic...Bert and Lisa? Well, I know a lot of people have wanted to see them become a couple and a lot of people really like the as a pair. But being realistic...I honestly lean towards the two of them not getting together. If the age difference between them isn't a big enough obstacle, that impression Bert made on her certainly doesn't help him out at all. When she signs the letter to Bert "Your friend _always_, Lisa" at the end of "Spring Fever", I think there is a realistic chance she actually means just that; that they will only be friends. But I can easily see poor stubborn Bert clinging onto hope that maybe he will get the woman he loves, even if it is beyond possible.

As for the significance of Melissa turning thirty-five in this fanfic...it's because a woman's chance of becoming a mother significantly decreases after thirty-five. Obviously significant considering the plot for this story...see what I mean about this thing becoming emotional?

Anyways, that's Chapter 1, and I hope you'll stay tuned for Chapter 2...coming next month! You'll see most of this story in the summer.


	2. Chapter 2: Feelings Of Emptiness

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, I said it'd be until sometime well into next month before I wrote the second chapter of this, but I got a few more ideas, and I figured, well, why not go ahead and write Chapter 2 of this while I'm at it? Like I said, it's better to write something when it's fresh in your head then let it fade away by the time you say you're going to write it...Anyways, Chapter 1 featured Melissa's birthday and her beginning to feel something missing from her life, as well as Bert and his latest interest, a fantasy novelist named Michael Moorhen. Of course, if you read the summary for this story, you know that Melissa ultimately decides what is missing from her life is children, but I think there should be a couple chapters of buildup before we get to that. So here, in this chapter, we'll see Melissa feeling depressed and beginning to self-doubt herself, as well as Bert deciding to give writing a try and, also introducing a potential plot for another future fanfic. Now, I think this will be a bit of a shorter chapter than the first. With that said...

**_Legal Disclaimer Of Fun:_**_ I do not own the rights to the Raccoons or any of the characters from the show, nor will I ever barring an incredible miracle...Sheesh. I REALLY need to stop writing these beyond the first chapters of my stories..._

**CHAPTER TWO**: **Feelings Of Emptiness**

A couple of weeks have passed and now it was mid-December in the Evergreen Forest. By this time, snow had come to the Forest. It had arrived a little later than it usually did, but nonetheless, it had arrived. Winter was always a wondrous time in the Forest and for its inhabitants. But not for all of them...

Melissa was taking a walk through the winter wonderland. She was supposed to be taking some pictures for this week's edition of the _Standard_. But today, she just didn't feel like it...

"I don't understand," Melissa said to herself, as no one else was around to hear her. "What is it that could possibly be missing from my life? Why do I feel this way?" Ever since her birthday a couple of weeks ago, Melissa had really felt down in the dumps. Ralph had told her that she would probably figure out what it was that could be missing from her life if she put her mind to it. But she had done a lot of thinking over these past few weeks, and still she was unable to think of what it was that could possibly be missing. It had really started to gnaw away at her. Melissa was usually optimistic and cheerful, but lately that had really started to change. She hadn't smiled in a good while now. She just didn't feel like smiling. As long as this...thing, whatever it was, was bothering her, she just couldn't bring herself to feel very happy.

Melissa sat down beneath a snow-covered pine near the Evergreen Lake. "_I've thought about this over and over again,_" she thought to herself, "_and yet, I can't put my finger on what it is that could be missing. What could it be?_" She frantically began to think of what could possibly be causing her to feel so depressed, and her mind could only think of two possible things...

"_Could it be,"_ she thought, "_I'm bored of __Ralph?_" Melissa's thoughts quickly turned to her husband. Was it possible that perhaps she wasn't interested in Ralph anymore? She thought of all the negative things she could potentially say about him. He _was_ too addicted to his work. She had never known anyone in her life who could be so obsessed with their job. Bert had once made a joke that if he legally could do it, Ralph would divorce her and marry the _Standard_. There were sometimes she thought that might actually be true. Plus, Ralph did have a jealousy problem. She knew he had a difficult time getting girlfriends before he had met her. Melissa was pretty much the first real girlfriend he had ever had. She had exactly the opposite problem when she was younger; she didn't have trouble getting dates, but none of the boys she had ever dated really seemed to actually like her for who she really was. Ralph was fully aware he was far from the first man she had been with in her life. Whenever she did bring up any old boyfriends of hers with him, he _really_ did not want to hear about it; as he was a little disappointed he wasn't her first. She remembered when Troy Malone had come to the Forest; Ralph had been so jealous of the attention she was giving Troy that he had taken him on in a flight competition, as he had felt Troy was a better man for her than he was and wanted to prove that he was good enough. Sure, she had forgiven him for that, but she _still_ could not believe Ralph had actually done that. He had absolutely scared the living hell out of her by going off and taking on Troy. "_What if he had gotten killed doing that__?_" Melissa thought. "_I really think there are times he doesn't think about how I would feel about things..._" But his jealousy wasn't completely limited to just her old boyfriends. Ralph had always been wary every time she made a new male friend; he always seemed to be just a little bit suspicious of them. Melissa felt a little bad to admit it, but she couldn't lie to herself. There _had_ been times she had fantasized about what could happen if she left Ralph and found someone else, and what her life could possibly be like. She would never tell him this to his face, but it _was _true...

But then her mind turned to the positive things she could say about him. Sure, Ralph was dedicated to his job to perhaps an unhealthy level, but it had been his childhood dream to become a newspaper journalist. He had worked his whole life to get this job, and he was certainly living his dream. She couldn't blame him for being attached to his career so much; unlike her, he had made his mind up pretty early in life on what he wanted to be when he grew up. Besides, sure, he did have a jealousy problem, but there were plenty of kind words she could say about him to counter that. Ralph was kind, smart, caring, cute, passionate...and _very_ loyal. He was almost ridiculously faithful to her; not even _once_ had she ever seen him checking out any other women or attempting to flirt with them. He definitely didn't have wandering eyes; he was obviously very glad to have her. He had once said to her he would rather die than even begin to think about cheating on her, and Melissa had every reason to believe he truly meant that. Plus, when she told other people Ralph was a real sweetheart, well...she _really _meant it. Yes, Ralph could be distant and focused on himself sometimes. But when he felt like it, he could be unbelievably sweet to her. Melissa thought back to her birthday and all he had done for her then; if anything, that was a true indication his heart still firmly belonged to her. Plus, she thought of the upcoming special events for the two of them, such as Valentine's Day. Ralph could sometimes forget their special dates, but he had never forgotten Valentine's Day. Every year since they had gotten married, he had always gotten her a large bouquet of her favorite flowers for Valentine's, plus he would always attach a little note telling her how much he truly loved her. Sure, this had become such a routine that there was pretty much no surprise involved at all, but Melissa could not help but admit she found it extremely sweet of Ralph to do such a thing for her every year. She knew she truly meant the world to him. And besides, she _did_ occasionally fantasize about what life with another man besides Ralph could be like, but those were only mere fantasies; they could never happen in real life. Melissa could never bring herself to leave him; she loved him far too much and they had shared far too many special moments together for her to seriously think about it. He would be absolutely heartbroken if she left him; she couldn't bear to imagine how he would take such a situation. No doubt he would probably be completely miserable for the rest of his life. Perhaps the only thing that could ever make her want to leave him would be if she were to find out he was having an affair, and she knew for _sure_ that would never happen. "_Am I bored of Ral__ph__?_" she repeated in her mind. "_No, absolutely not. Ralph has nothing to do with what's bother__ing me."_

With that, Melissa's thoughts turned to the other thing she thought could be a possible cause of her empty feelings: her career. "_Sure, I may be a successful photographer_," she mused, "_but is this really the job for me__?_" She knew she was quite a renowned photographer and the books she had published so far had all gotten very good reviews, but she couldn't help but wonder...perhaps she had made the wrong career choice? Unlike her husband, Melissa had several different career paths she could have potentially chosen. She had been quite a good actress in her high school years and had taken part in many school plays; her drama teacher had thought she should have seriously considered a stage career. Not to mention, she and Ralph had organized a few plays together over the years, and Lady Baden-Baden herself had once told her she had a natural acting ability. But she hadn't taken that career path as she wasn't really too fond of having to travel around the country performing in front of crowds in strange, unfamiliar cities. Not to mention, she had been quite an athlete in her younger years, helping her high school team win their girls' softball championship and almost winning the girls' hockey championship. Melissa remembered her softball coach said she had the best throwing arm she had ever seen in her twenty years of coaching. Perhaps she should have taken an athletic scholarship? She had to admit, she _did_ wonder what might have happened if she had chosen a different career path...

Melissa sighed. "_I just don't know what to do..._"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, aboard a spaceship traveling through the cosmos...<p>

Altair, Deneb, and Vega were flying towards the distant planet Beta Centauri C, aboard their spaceship the _Mach Six_. They were trying to find the space hermit Aldebaran, who _supposedly _knew the way to defeat giant tyrannical space cyclopes such as Fomalhaut.

Altair was looking out the windows while Deneb was in his usual role of piloting the ship using his phenomenal psychic powers. Altair and Vega were currently engrossed in conversation.

"How do you know Aldebaran lives on Beta Centauri C, Altair?" Vega asked. "I mean, like me and Deneb said, for all you know this could be some kind of trap Fomalhaut set to ensnare us.."

"I have complete faith in what Antares said," Altair broadly grinned. "After all, _she_ would never do _me _any wrong..." It was no secret to Vega that Altair rather fancied the space princess/warrior gal Antares, but she certainly did not feel the same way he did...

"Say, Deneb. How far are we from Beta Centauri C?" Altair questioned his friend.

"Erm, I think we are about 250 light years or so away. I think we could get there faster if I tapped even further into my brain, but I would drain my resources in a hurry. We'll just have to take our time getting there..." Deneb replied.

"Dammit! Can't we get there any faster?"

"He said we'd have to take our time, Altair," Vega huffed, "what don't you understand about that?"

Suddenly at that moment, the three intergalactic raccoon heroes were interrupted by the sounds of gunshots striking the _Mach Six_.

"Oh no!" Deneb cried. "Fomalhaut's Mini-Cyclops minions have followed us to the furthest reaches of the galaxy! What shall we do?"

"There's only one thing we _can_ do," Altair snickered to himself. "Vega, you and I are going to man the laser cannons. We're gonna blast some cyclops hindquarters to this side of the Little Dipper!" With that, he rushed towards a laser cannon, preparing to fire upon the enemy ships.

"I _really_ hope you know what you're doing, dear," Deneb worriedly said to his wife.

"Oh don't worry, silly," Vega laughed, "I think _I _know how to manhandle a laser cannon!"

"Good luck," Deneb nervously replied as Vega went to the laser cannons...where Altair was already firing away at the enemy ships.

"HAHAHAHA!" Altair laughed wildly at the top of his lungs. "EAT LASERS, YOU ONE-EYED SONS OF GUNS! AHAHAHA!"

Altair was indeed making quick work of the enemy; about five ships had already been destroyed. "Heheh, easier than taking candy from a bab-"

"Aaaaugh! Bert, come over here, I need your help!" Ralph shouted in a very agitated voice, interrupting Bert from his fantasy.

"Ah, figures..." Bert muttered to himself. He and Ralph were at the office of the _Standard_. Bert had been secretly re-reading Michael Moorhen's _The Psychedelic Warlord_ again; he always liked to read novels a few times to keep them fresh in his head.

Bert approached the editor's desk, where Ralph was sitting in front of his new computer, which had replaced his beloved typewriter. Ralph was shaking his head, feeling ashamed.

"What's the matter now, Ralphie boy?"

"Bert," Ralph sighed, "it did it again."

"What do you mean?"

"The computer. It's stuck. I can't move the arrow around or anything. I don't know what happened."

"Oh," Bert chuckled, "you mean it froze?"

"Yes," Ralph muttered.

"Oh, well, there's only one way to unfreeze the computer," Bert shrugged as he reached down beneath the desk and flipped the red power switch on and off. "Gotta flip the power switch. Hope ya saved the article you were working on!"

"Oh damn," Ralph groaned. "I totally forgot to do that! Arrgh, I keep forgetting it's a good idea to save your work on these things!" Ralph felt like beating his head on the desk right now.

"Gee, Ralph," Bert remarked, "we got these computers back in August. I'd think by now you would be pretty good at using these things..."

"Well," Ralph sighed, "I'm apparently what they call a 'computer illiterate', or at least, that's what Bentley said I was. I know next to nothing about these things. I don't understand why we even switched over from our old printing press and typewriters to these machines. We were doing just fine that way; I never had this much trouble with my typewriter..."

"Well, the times, they are a-changin', Ralphie boy. Sad to say but your typewriter is ancient history now. Bentley told me one day typewriters will only exist in ancient history museums. You know how big of a pain it was for me to have to replace all my old vinyls with CDs?"

"I know," Ralph replied. He shook his head. "I just don't get it. I just don't get why technology has to change so rapidly..."

"Well, don't worry, pal," Bert said, "you'll get better at this with time. Sooner than you know it it'll be second nature to you to use one of these things. You're doing a lot better than when you first started out! When you first used this thing you tried picking the mouse up off the pad and tapping the screen with the buttons," he chuckled. Ralph had looked _extremely_ silly doing that.

"Oh, don't remind me," Ralph moaned, "Why do they even call it the mouse in the first place? It doesn't look like a mouse to me at all. I mean, to me, this thing looks more like...well, a mole."

Bert honestly could not answer that question. "You know, I honestly don't have a clue why it's called a mouse. I guess I'll have to ask Bentley about that...or you could always go on the Internet and look it up! It amazes me how fast you can learn things from that place..."

"I don't think I really trust the Internet, Bert," Ralph replied, feeling embarrassed about his lack of knowledge for the new technology. "I can't help it. I feel really dumb to not be able to comprehend how these things work the way they do. You remember the one time I tried calling the tech support the first time this thing froze? The guy on the phone just laughed at me and told me I was _surely_ too dumb to actually own a computer..."

"Well, that guy was just a stuck-up jerk. I bet he lost his job because of the things he said to you. You're just not used to having a computer; I'm not surprised it is a bit of an adjustment for ya. It doesn't make you an idiot," Bert encouraged his old friend.

"I guess you're right, Bert," Ralph replied as he opened up a Word document on the computer to restart the article he had been working on when the computer crashed. "Say, I caught you slacking off again," he shot back, changing the subject. "You were busy reading a book instead of typing up the interview you had with Cedric about his new deal with Mr. Mammoth. What gives?"

"Oh, heheh," Bert nervously chuckled. "I was just re-reading the latest in _The Warriors On The Edge Of Time_ series! Ya know, that Michael Moorhen is quite the literary genius!"

"Hmmph," Ralph frowned. "Never have I seen someone with such an active fantasy life like you. I swear, sometimes I think you live in your own little world..."

"I think they think pretty highly of me there," Bert joked. Ralph didn't laugh.

"Sorry, sorry," Bert shrugged. But, there was something he wanted to bring up with his old buddy. Bert had gotten quite a few ideas in his head lately from re-reading Moorhen's books as well as several other fantasy novels, and an idea was beginning to gestate within the confines of his brain..."Say Ralphie boy, do ya think there's any chance _I _could be a novelist?"

Ralph glanced away from the computer for a moment. "I _really_ doubt it, Bert."

"But c'mon, Ralph, I have plenty of ideas in my head. I think it might be a bad idea to keep 'em all in there where no one else can ever know about them. What if I want to share them with the world?"

Ralph chuckled. "I'm not too sure the world _would_ want to read your ideas, Bert. Some of those could be quite dangerous, you know..."

Bert was displeased Ralph didn't seem to think he had any potential. "How do you know I can't write my own novel?"

"I'm sure you have enough ideas for one, but would your attention remain focused long enough to actually complete it? You know, a novel's not a very simple thing to complete. You can't just snap your fingers and it'll be done; it takes a lot of time and planning to successfully complete it. Are you sure you're dedicated enough to actually see it through?"

"I'm sure, Ralphie boy!" Bert ecstatically exclaimed.

"Well, if you think can, I suppose there's no harm in giving it a try..."

At that moment, Melissa shuffled in to the _Standard_'s office. She looked quite upset; a sad expression was planted on her face as her melancholy eyes gazed down at the floor.

"Ah, Melissa, you're back," Ralph warmly greeted her. "How are those photos looking? I'm sure they're great, as always."

"Fine, I suppose," Melissa responded absent-mindedly, with very little enthusiasm to her voice. Ralph quickly noticed this.

"Melissa...what's the matter? Are you upset?" he asked her.

"How does it _look_ like I feel?" she snapped back. Ralph was surprised at how hostile her response sounded.

"I...I didn't mean to pry into your situation, honey," Ralph meekly replied. "I'm sorry."

"Well, _of course_ I'm upset, Ralph. Can you not see that?" she growled.

"Sheesh, Melissa, what's gotten into ya?" Bert asked. "I've never seen you this grouchy before..."

"Will you _can_ it, Bert?" she hissed at him. Melissa covered her mouth, realizing what she was saying. "I...I'm sorry, guys," she sadly replied. "I'm just really upset right now. I'm not even sure _what_ I'm saying..."

"This still has something to do with you feeling a void in your life, doesn't it?" Ralph asked, feeling concerned. He thought she'd be able to find an easy solution to her problem, but she hadn't. He didn't like seeing his wife feeling so down upon herself.

"Yes, it does."

"Well..." Ralph asked, thinking of something that could help, "do you have any idea what could be causing you to feel this way?"

"I've done a lot of thinking," Melissa admitted, "and I think I know what could be bothering me so much..."

"Well, what is it?" Bert asked. "C'mon, Melissa, we're here for ya."

"Bert, Ralph...I think...it's my career," she sadly replied.

"Your career?" Ralph was shocked. "But I thought you loved your job, dear. Why would you think it's your career?"

"Ralph, I had so many different career paths before me...and I ended up choosing photography. I...I..." She couldn't finish her statement.

"You what?" Ralph asked, visibly concerned.

"I...think I made the wrong career choice, Ralph..." she sighed heavily. "I'm really starting to think that."

"You think you made the wrong career choice...?" Ralph was stunned. He had always thought she was satisfied with her photography career. "_Didn't she tell me once how much she loved working on those books she published?_" he thought. "_What on ea__rth is going on here?_"

"Yes, I really think I did..."

"How?" Bert wondered aloud. "You do a damn good job for the paper. I've never seen someone who seemed to be such a natural behind a camera lens. Why would you think you made the wrong choice?"

"I don't know," Melissa admitted. She turned her gaze back to her husband. "Ralph, there's something I should tell you that I think you're _really_ not going to like."

Ralph wondered what she could possibly say. "Well...go ahead. Tell me, honey."

"Ralph," Melissa slowly began, "I'm thinking...about quitting my job here."

"Whaaaaa...?" Bert and Ralph said in unison, their jaws agape. Ralph couldn't believe what she had just told him. She wanted to quit her job? This seemed so sudden on her part. Just a few weeks ago, Melissa seemed to thoroughly enjoy her photography career. He never in his wildest dreams thought she would want to give up her career so suddenly, so out of the blue. This seemed _so_ unlike her. Who on earth was this strange woman before him, and what had she done to his wife?

"You heard me," she said.

"But honey," Ralph pleaded with her, "you...you can't leave! You're a wonderful photographer; don't doubt yourself! Besides, if you leave, it'll just be down to me and Bert to put the paper together. We can't do this without you!"

"I just don't know, Ralph," she sighed. "I just don't know. I really don't want to talk anymore right now," she finished, "as I think I might say the wrong thing. I'll be over at the Raccoondominium..." With that, Melissa walked back towards the door and headed out in the direction of their home, alone.

Bert and Ralph were quite understandably confused and shocked at what had just happened. "Ralph..." Bert began after a few minutes. "Mind telling me what the hell all _that_ was about?"

"I don't know, Bert," Ralph said, feeling rather lost and saddened right now. "I mean, I know she's been upset for a while now..."

"Her mid-life crisis," Bert interrupted.

"I suppose that's what it is," Ralph sighed, "but I didn't anticipate she'd be upset with her career! I mean, this is all very sudden."

"You aren't kidding about that," Bert replied. "I really hope she doesn't quit the _Standard_. You're right, Ralphie boy; you and me can't do this all by ourselves. We'd probably have to take up getting the pictures ourselves, and you know you and me aren't as good with a camera as she is. I may be an ace at many things, but I'm not Bert Raccoon: Ace Photographer."

"I just don't know what to do," Ralph shook his head. "She's all upset and down on herself...and I can't stand to see her like this. I'd do anything to see her smile again, Bert."

"You should help her out, Ralphie boy," Bert retorted. "After all, _you_ married her. You should really help her out in this situation; otherwise, we're going to have an unmerry Christmas and a crummy New Year."

"I _really_ want to help her...but I just don't know what to do. She's never been like this before..." Ralph sighed, burying his head into his paws.

"Well, think of something, pal!" Bert encouraged him.

Time seemed to fly by at the _Standard _that day. For once, Ralph's attention was anywhere but on his work. He was frantically thinking of a way to help Melissa out through her crisis. He felt he needed to be there for her...but he just didn't know what he could do to help or to convince her to stay at the _Standard_. Then, after a good bit of thinking, it hit him. "_A-HA!_" he thought to himself. "_I've got it! I think it's a perfect idea, if she'll only listen to it..._" In his "Eureka" moment, Ralph noticed that he had accidentally closed out of his Word document...and had _again_ forgotten to save it.

"_Dammit!_"

* * *

><p>That evening, in a different part of the Evergreen Forest, a certain female raccoon was busy in her kitchen...<p>

Maxine Ringtail, or Maxie as those who knew her closely called her, was busy at work in her kitchen. Her daughter, Annie Ringtail, was off with her boyfriend, Bentley. They had decided to go see a movie together tonight and they had gone for supper beforehand. She was busy baking cookies in the oven, as a snack Annie could have when she got back. Maxie herself would be gone by then, busy at the Blue Spruce Cafe washing dishes, her current job where she happened to work nights.

Her thoughts turned to her past. Maxie was a part of the infamous Ringtail clan, a very wealthy Canadian entrepreneurial family. She had been wealthy by birth and had pretty much everything she could possibly ask for handed down to her without any real problems. She had her whole future ahead of her; her family had her college education already well secured for her. But then, in her last year of high school, she had made the biggest mistake of her entire life: sleeping with her boyfriend...without any protection. It was a mistake that had really messed up her entire life since then. It wasn't very long afterwards she found out she was pregnant. As soon as she told her boyfriend that he was about to be a father, he did the rather predictable thing; instead of offering to marry her and claim responsibility for the child, he turned tail and ran. Maxie never saw him again afterwards. Even worse, her family did not take it very well when they found out she was to become a mother at such a young age. They had been so upset at her they had promptly gone to the length of disowning her and cutting her off from their wealth entirely. And to top it all off, she was forced to drop out of school and she was unable to graduate. Because of that one mistake, she went from having an excellent life pretty much all set up for her to being in poverty and having a very uncertain future. After Annie had been born, she had to move around from town to town, drifting from job to job to just try to support herself and her child. She had ended up here in the Evergreen Forest, where she had spent the better part of the past thirteen years living. It had taken her awhile, but at last she had a steady job; Schaeffer had been kind enough to allow her to help clean the dishes at the Blue Spruce Cafe. It was far from a glamorous job and certainly not what she had hoped she would be doing by the time she was in her mid-thirties, but it brought money in, so she couldn't knock it.

Maxie also thought about her daughter. Annie was really growing up fast. Maxie knew her daughter had long had a crush on that Bentley Raccoon, and she wasn't surprised to see the two of them had gotten together. Bentley was a little bit on the irresponsible side, but she could tell deep down he was a good kid. Someone she felt she could trust with her daughter. Someone she felt wouldn't pressure Annie into anything she felt uncomfortable doing...at least, she _felt_ certain of that; she could always be wrong. She remembered telling Annie about the circumstances of her birth and telling her not to make the same mistake she had made. Annie seemed to take this quite well; she felt certain Annie would be smarter than she had been. She was glad to see her daughter had found happiness. But, oddly enough, she couldn't help but feel a little envious of her own daughter. Annie had no trouble finding love, but Maxie herself just couldn't seem to find any...

Maxie had long had a reputation of being a single mom. But, truthfully, she _really_ didn't like that title at all. She would have much rather preferred that Annie have a father figure in her life. It had been so long since she had actually been with a man she had almost completely forgotten what it was actually like. She really and truly felt quite lonely. A part of her really wanted to find someone who would love her and would make her happy. But, things had not gone very well for her at all in that department. Every time a man seemed to show a little bit of interest in her, they always ran away once they found out she had a kid. It seemed that men considered a child to be extra baggage and they didn't want to handle the responsibility. Maxie couldn't help but feel sad that no one was actually willing to look past the fact she had made that big mistake, or even go so far as to actually want to be in her child's life. "_It isn't right_,_" _she thought. _"I think everybody deser__ves __a chance at love..._" Maxie had dealt with lots of disappointment in the romantic department. But she hadn't quite given up yet. Lately, her thoughts had turned to someone she had gotten to know quite well over the past few years, a certain peanut butter loving raccoon with a huge sense of imagination...

Over the past few years, Maxie had become good friends with Bert, Ralph, and Melissa. Ralph and Melissa had put in a good word with Schaeffer to help her get her job working there in the first place, so she couldn't help but be grateful for their help. But out of the three of them, Bert was her favorite by far. He would stop by every couple of weeks or so to chat about things; the two of them had become really good friends. It was a bit funny because she and Bert were near complete opposites in every way. Bert was so carefree, child-like; almost innocent in a way. Maxie on the other hand was more responsible and mature than Bert ever likely would be. But she couldn't help but admit she actually _liked_ him that way. She actually found it quite endearing seeing how cheerful and light-hearted he could be after all that terrible stuff that had happened to him in the city that he had once told her about. In a way, you could say she wished she could be the same way after all she had to go through. She also found Bert's imagination quite interesting and fascinating. He certainly had an active fantasy life, she had to admit. But she would at least lend an ear to whatever fantastical subject he would share with her. "_And not to mention, he's really good with Annie__,_" she thought to herself. Bert had gotten to know Annie quite well, as she had once bought a date with Bert at a bachelor auction since she felt bad nobody else wanted to buy him. Annie actually did look up to Bert quite a bit. _"For me, being liked by my kid is a huge plus__._" Not to mention other little things about him she found attractive: his bravery, his willingness to help, his loyalty to his friends...

Maxie couldn't deny it to herself. She liked Bert. She _really_ liked Bert. He was definitely the man she had become closest to over the years, and a part of her really hoped maybe someday they could end up together. Sure, Bert had told her he had once been a severe womanizer, but those days were long behind him. He had become quite lonely himself, and Maxie figured perhaps if she and Bert got together the two of them wouldn't have to feel lonely anymore. But...she realized that might very well never happen. She was well aware Bert was in love with Bentley's older sister Lisa. Maxie knew Lisa was quite a bit younger than her; and certainly far more attractive. She hadn't spoken to Lisa very often even though she didn't live too far from her currently, but she could definitely see why Bert would be so interested in her. Lisa could have easily been a centerfold model if showing off her body had been what she wanted to do. As for Maxie? Well, she certainly couldn't hope to compare to Lisa in the looks department. "_Compared to her, I'm just a plain old Jane,_" she thought. Bert would surely never find her beautiful like he did Lisa. But she knew that Lisa didn't share the same feelings for Bert he had for her. Often, Bert would come to her house telling her how much he loved Lisa and how he just didn't understand why she didn't feel the same way, as he had done so much for her. Maxie had told him not to give up hope, but in a way, she regretted doing that as he had taken it to heart. It really did seem he would never give up on her. Maxie realized that Bert would probably never feel the same way about her that she felt about him; he would always prefer Lisa. To open her heart up to him would _surely_ lead to her getting her feelings crushed...

"_Why did I have to fall in love with him__?_" she thought to herself. "_I had to fall in love with the one man who'll never love me back. Why do you have to be so cruel, Cupid?_" At that moment, Maxie was interrupted from her thoughts as her doorbell rang.

"Hold on a minute, I'm coming!" She opened the door to find...

...none other than the goofy grin of Bert greeting her. The person she had just been thinking of.

"Ah, Bert," Maxie warmly smiled. "It's so nice to see you again. It'll be nice to have some company for a while."

"Er, actually, Max," Bert replied, "I was just lookin' for Annie. I wanted to talk to her about something. Is she here?"

"Sorry, Bert, you just missed her. She and Bentley left to go to the movies about half an hour ago."

"Oh."

"But why don't you come in anyways? It's awfully cold outside, you know. Besides, I was just baking cookies. Perhaps you would like to have some?" Maxie asked.

"Hmm, cookies sound nice..." Bert hungrily thought to himself.

"Well, don't just stand there! Do come in," Maxie laughed.

Bert closed the door behind him as he followed her into the kitchen, as Maxie took the cookies out of the oven.

"Are those...peanut butter cookies?" Bert hopefully asked.

Maxie laughed. "No, silly, these are oatmeal cookies. But I tell you what, I have some peanut butter in my cupboard if you'd like."

"Ooh, peanut butter," Bert said as he took a jar of peanut butter out of the cupboard and poured it onto the cookies.

"Now careful there, Bert. Those cookies just came out of the oven, so they're going to be a little hot. And please, don't eat all of them. I'd like to save some for Annie," she alerted him.

"No problem," Bert said as he and Maxie sat down at the kitchen table together.

"So," Maxie asked, "what is it you wanted to talk to Annie about? You can tell me about it; I don't really mind."

"Well, Maxie," Bert began, "remember when I told you about the _Warriors On The Edge Of Time_ book series?"

"Of course," Maxie smiled. "You know, I actually _did_ read those books, Bert. You told me about them and I figured I might as well give them a read myself. I have a pretty open mind."

"You did read them?" Bert was impressed. "Huh. I tried getting Lisa to read them and she said it wasn't her thing."

"Like I said, Bert, I have a pretty open mind."

"Well, what did you think of them?"

"I actually quite liked them," she replied. "You know, I actually thought the romance between Deneb and Vega in those books was rather cute," she chuckled.

Bert was appalled to hear she found anything in the books cute. "But this is the _Warriors On The Edge Of Time_ series! They're supposed to be thrilling and suspenseful, not _cute_."

"Oh, I know, but still, I can definitely see Mike Moorhen has a bit of a sentimental side to him. But I did really like the books; I'll have to read the third one when I get the chance. I really did like Altair's character. You know, he reminds me quite a lot of you, Bert. Fearless and brave, though I think he might be a bit crazier than you are," Maxie laughed.

"You know, that's exactly what I was thinking, Max," Bert replied, unaware of her complimenting him. "But anyways, I wanted to let Annie know I've decided I want to try my hand at writing my own novel."

"You want to write your own novel? Well, Bert, I'd say you should go for it. You never know what might come out of it," she encouraged him. "What kind of idea do you have in mind?"

"I had this idea about a wizard of some sort. I don't know. I haven't planned that far ahead yet."

"Well, do you need any help illustrating your characters? I'd be glad to offer my help there."

Bert was surprised. "You can draw?"

Maxie smiled. "Bert, you might not have known this, but when I was Annie's age I wanted to grow up to illustrate children's books. I actually _am_ a pretty good artist, when I can find the time. Unfortunately, well...Annie coming along pretty much ruined that," she sighed. "It's pretty sad how one little mistake as a teenager can really affect the rest of your life, isn't it?"

"Well, we all make mistakes, I think," Bert shrugged. "No need to dwell on 'em forever. So anyways, what's new with you, Max?"

"Nothing, really. My life is far from an exciting one. It's pretty much a routine. Clean the house, fix dinner for Annie, go to work, clean dishes, come home, go to bed. That's pretty much my whole life," Maxie sighed.

"I guess it's more stable than some."

"Perhaps, but I wish my life _did_ have a bit more excitement and surprise to it..." She gazed deep into Bert's eyes. "If I may ask, how are Ralph and Melissa doing? Last time you came to visit you told me Melissa was going through some kind of mid-life crisis."

"Well, she's not really doing much better," Bert replied. "Ralph's tryin' to think of a way to help her, but he doesn't have a clue what to do."

"I don't understand what could be her problem," Maxie responded. "I mean, she lives a pretty good life. She's a much luckier woman than I am. At least she has someone who loves her. And a better job than I do. If anything, probably the only thing she doesn't have that I have is children."

"Huh, well, I don't think she and Ralph want children," Bert answered.

"Well, that would be silly of them to miss out on the opportunity; I mean, I'm sure they would be good parents if they got the opportunity. But I won't question them."

"Well, anyways, you won't believe what she told us today."

"What did she tell you?" Maxie wondered.

"She's thinking about quitting her photography job," Bert replied.

"Wow. She wants to give up her career?" Maxie was surprised. Melissa was a friend of hers, and as far as she had known Melissa had always enjoyed her job. "Well, I hope everything turns out alright for her and Ralph."

"Eh, I'm sure things'll get better in time," Bert said.

"I'm sure they will; I mean, Ralph is a pretty smart guy, I'm certain he'll be able to help her."

"Well, he's not smart when it comes to computers!" Bert laughed. Maxie couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Well, I don't blame him," she said. "Hell, if I had to work with computers, I'd probably be having as much trouble with them as he has."

"Yeah," Bert replied, finishing up another cookie. "Well, I think I better go back to the Raccoondominium now. Nice dropping by here, Max," he said as he stood up from the chair and headed for the front door. "I'll probably be back later to ask Annie if she can help give me a few ideas for that novel. You're welcome to help me illustrate my characters when I get a little further along with the book!"

"Thanks," Maxie replied as she waved goodbye to him. "See you around, Bert," she sighed as she headed back to the kitchen.

"_Will I ever be able to tell him how I feel?_" she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Melissa was resting on the couch at the Raccoondominium. It had been a very rough day for her. Whatever was bothering her had really gotten her down today. She had been snappy with Bert and her husband today when she told them she was considering quitting her job. She didn't really know what could be wrong with her. The only thing she could think of it being was her career. Right now, she didn't really want to talk to anyone. Ralph and Bert were having a conversation in the kitchen at the moment. Ralph had tried to cheer her up, but she didn't really want to talk to him right now. She preferred to be alone with her thoughts.<p>

Melissa's attention was focused on the television before her. On the TV, a rather handsome looking lemming walked towards a comfortable chair and sat down. He turned towards the camera and spoke to the audience.

"Hi there. I'm Lance Lemming. I'm certain all of you remember me from such movies as _Queen Of The Endless Isle_ and _A Tree Grows In Saskatchewan_, where I co-starred alongside the lovely Miss Ingrid Bellamour. That was twenty years ago when I was one of the leading film stars in Hollywood. Nowadays, the roles for me have dried up, but I've been able to sustain myself by doing infomercials, instructional how-to videotapes, and, by far my favorite, wonderful off color musicals such as _Mama, Don't Throw Your Baby Out With The Bath Water_ and _Holy __Mother Of Mercy, The Prime Minister's Baby Has Been Kidnapped!_ It's certainly been an interesting few years, and today I'm here to tell you about my new book, _From The Mind Of An Eccentric Genius_ _To Your Coffee Table_..."

Melissa sighed. "Wow, Lance. What happened to you? When I was a young girl you used to be a _real_ hunk. Now you've become just another wacky washed-up actor. I guess the older you get, the more everything changes..."

At that moment, Ralph came out of the kitchen and sat down on the couch right next to her. He turned his gaze directly towards her.

"Melissa, honey," Ralph began, "look...I really need to talk to you."

Melissa turned away from him. "Ralph, I already told you I don't want to talk right now. I'd rather be alone right now..."

"But, Melissa," Ralph pleaded with her, placing his paw on top of hers in a comforting manner, "please. I think I have a way I can help you." He hoped she would listen to him...

Melissa sighed. "Alright, Ralph, I give. I'll listen..."

Ralph cleared his throat. "Melissa, please, you can't quit your job at the _Standard_. We really do need you there. If you quit it'll be up to me and Bert to get the photos for our stories, and well, neither of us is half as good with a camera as you are."

Melissa frowned. "Ralph, I just don't really feel the same passion for it like I did a while ago."

Ralph lightly smiled, hoping to cheer her up. "Maybe you're just in a rut?"

"Well, Ralph, I've thought about what could be causing me to feel so empty; so down upon myself, and the only things I could think of were you and my job. And it wasn't you causing it," she replied.

"Honey, I know you're having a hard time," Ralph warmly replied, "but remember, I'm here for you. Besides, you're a wonderful photographer, Melissa. The books you made were really something. You remember what I said, don't you? When it comes to your career, I'm your number one fan," he chuckled.

"I know," Melissa lightly replied, "but...Ralph, I had several different career paths for me I could have taken. I used to take part in plays back when I went to school in Prince Rupert."

"Of course, I do remember the plays you and I put on for the rest of the Forest occasionally." Ralph had to laugh at one of his old memories. "You remember when Cyril Sneer interrupted one of them because he thought the King and Queen were coming to the Forest?"

"Oh yes," Melissa replied. That did make her smile a bit. Cyril had ruined their play, but he had completely made an ass out of himself that night, which made it an amusing memory. "I mean, Ralph, I could have easily been like Lady Baden-Baden was. I could have been a famous stage actress traveling the world, putting on shows for people's enjoyment."

"Perhaps, but I don't know if I could see you actually doing that. I mean, it's fun to do as a once-in-a-while kind of thing, but I don't think I could see you making a career out of it. I mean, I think it would get pretty boring having to play the same roles over and over again for different audiences. And, I'm not really an actor, you know," Ralph admitted.

"Well, maybe, but I was also quite an athlete back in my school days. I still kind of am one today; I can still throw a ball quite well and I can still run pretty fast. You know, I _do_ like to keep in shape," Melissa said.

"Well, you certainly are healthy," Ralph agreed. "You're probably in better shape than I am. I've never been much of an athlete."

"You don't have to be one, Ralph," Melissa noted. "But you know, Lisa recently got that job at Evergreen Elementary coaching the young children. I think that could have easily been me having that job..."

"Well, perhaps you did have a lot of options available for you, but, believe me honey, I think you made the right choice career-wise. I really couldn't see you doing any of those other jobs," Ralph tried to reassure her.

"Maybe. I just don't know, Ralph..."

"Melissa, I have an idea that you might really like," Ralph spoke as he placed his paw on her shoulder.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, Melissa, remember when we first started the _Standard_?"

"Yes, I do," she remembered. "Hard to believe it's been almost ten years since we opened up, isn't it?"

"I can't really believe it either," her husband smiled. "But do you remember? One of our first columns was an advice column called _Ask Bert_."

"I remember _Ask Bert_. Didn't we get rid of that, though?"

"Yes, we did," Ralph said. "It was because Bert wasn't really providing solid advice. He was being a little bit too goofy with his...erm, 'advice'. But I did some thinking today. Melissa, how long is it we've been married?"

"Well, come May 12th it'll be twelve years," Melissa quickly answered. "I really can't believe how fast time is flying. It seems like only yesterday we were walking down the aisle together..."

"I know, but you see Melissa, we've been married a long time, and I've been thinking, a lot of other women around the Forest really look up to you. You're one of the more well-respected ladies around here; I dare say there are probably a few who see you as a role model."

"Me, a role model?" Melissa had to laugh. "Oh come on, Ralph, I'm not really a role model..."

"Well, that's just what I'm assuming. You get more fan letters than either Bert or I do. Now, as I said, I did some thinking and you probably have a lot of advice you could give relationship-wise. I mean, look at us, we've been able to make it work for almost twelve years..." Ralph replied.

"Well, when you're married for twelve years you _do _learn quite a lot about relationships," Melissa lightly chuckled.

"Yes. Do you remember what you said it takes to make a relationship work?" Ralph asked her.

"Well," she thought aloud, "of course I do. A little understanding, a little support, and a little compromise. I think that's what you need to make a relationship work out. Two people in a relationship are supposed to be a team; they're supposed to work things out together."

"Wise words," Ralph nodded. "I've heard a lot of people around the Forest are having relationship troubles. So, do you want to hear what my idea is?"

"I've been wondering this whole time and you haven't told me; sure, go ahead."

"I think perhaps you could write an advice column for the _Standard_, in addition to being the photographer. We could call it _Ask Melissa_. You could help provide relationship advice to those here in the Forest who are having troubles with their relationships. Or perhaps maybe give advice to help those seeking love find a lasting relationship. I really think you have a lot you could share with those people." Ralph smiled broadly as he looked her straight in the eyes. "Honey, what do you think? Do you think it's a good idea?"

Melissa thought for a moment. "Ralph, it sounds like a very nice idea; I wouldn't mind being a real help to those who are having love troubles. I probably could provide some solid advice to those people. But..."

"But what?" Ralph wondered.

"Ralph, you know me. I'm not a very good typist. It's never been something I've been very good at it. You're far more of a natural at it than I am, dear. Remember when we were in college? You had to help me out quite a bit in typing out my papers for my classes. Plus, when I published those books you had to help me type up the introduction and the captions. I've just never really felt comfortable in front of a keyboard..." Melissa hated to disappoint Ralph.

"That's just it, Melissa. I'll help you. You could write down your advice on paper and I could help type it up for you," Ralph kindly offered.

"But, Ralph, you're still not that good with computers..."

"Yes, but I'm getting better at it. So what do you say, honey? Will you give it a chance?"

Melissa shrugged. "Ralph, I just don't know..."

Ralph smirked as he thought of something. "Pleeeeease?" he said, putting on the most innocent looking face he could possibly muster.

"_I hate you_ _so__ much right now, Ralph..._" she thought. That particular face. She had always had found that face too adorable to say 'no' to. And Ralph was well aware of that. Whenever he was trying to convince her to do something he really wanted her to do, he would always pull that face on her. Still, she knew Ralph was genuinely trying to help...

Melissa sighed. "Well...alright, sweetie. I'll give it a try. Who knows? Maybe this could be something I might really enjoy doing."

Ralph beamed. "I knew you would like it, Melissa. I think we'll start running it as soon as the new year comes along."

"Sounds alright to me," Melissa lightly smiled. "Ralph, thanks for trying to help me through this difficult time. Sometimes, I wonder what I'd do without you..."

"Well, I'm glad to be able to help," Ralph smiled back as he wove his arms around her and pulled her into a loving hug.

Melissa surely had to feel a little better. This whole new advice column could be something she could really grow to enjoy. She always did like to think she could help people out, and she liked to believe love could work out between two people if they worked about it. This would be an interesting experience...

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if this was _really_ right for her...

**END CHAPTER TWO**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Well, there's Chapter 2 of Beat The Clock...I actually thought this would be a shorter chapter than the first one, but it ended up being longer. I really do apologize if my chapters are overlong, I really can't help it. When I write, I really have a lot to say. I really hope I'm not driving anybody off with the length of these chapters...

You probably remember Maxie Ringtail from kobebeef's story "Secrets and Heroes". (She originally came from a fanfic written by an author called Strangeseraph, but that story has since been taken down...while I was in the process of beginning to read it, too! What a bummer.) There, she was shown to be Annie's mother and, as it turned out, Bert's biological sister. Here though, Bert isn't a part of the Ringtail clan (well, he COULD be, but I don't think I really want to go into that...). It was actually suggested to me by my proofreader that since in this timeline I'm writing Bert doesn't end up with Lisa, there perhaps should be someone who secretly admires Bert but can't possibly tell Bert about how they feel since Bert is too enamored with Lisa. He mentioned Maxie (yes, kobe is my proofreader), so I decided, "eh, why not? I think I can make it work." Definitely the really odd pair here; but I suppose it could work. I think I did a good job introducing this idea. This is something I'll definitely delve into much further in a future fanfic I'll probably write sometime in the future after I complete this one. If you have a proofreader, it is always a good idea to listen to them, heheh! It might be rather bold of me to write a fanfic where Bert and Lisa don't end up together, so I really hope I don't violently upset anybody there.

I also wanted to show Melissa feeling frustrated with herself in this chapter. Of course, she doesn't know what could possibly be wrong at this point, so she thinks at this point it might be her career. Of course, you know the plot, so ultimately she realizes that isn't it; it's the fact that she doesn't have any children. I'd call that spoiling, but it pretty much blatantly says it in the description, so...yeah. I figured I need a couple of chapters of buildup.

Heheh. Lance Lemming. You (possibly) remember him from the episode _Cold Feet_ where it's mentioned he co-starred with Ingrid Bellamour in quite a few movies during her silver screen days. I figured, why not. We see what Ingrid has become (an environmental activist), so why not see what Lance ended up becoming. He's basically presented as the Raccoons version of Troy McClure from the Simpsons; a washed up actor who constantly shows up on TV. Damn, I miss Phil Hartman...I really think a part of the Simpsons died with him; when they retired the characters he played out of respect for him after his death, the show really lost something special. I think that might very well be the beginning of the decline of the Simpsons. Those off color plays Lance says he starred in are kind of...disturbed, but they definitely sound like something Troy McClure would have starred in, so I thought it was a good idea.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 3'll be coming soon, in which Bert finally begins working on his fantasy novel, Melissa begins writing her new advice column for the _Standard_, and a surprise announcement by a certain semi-popular couple occurs...stay tuned folks! As for Chapter 4 of Fly By Night...I'll get to it soon enough!


	3. Chapter 3: Surprise Announcement

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, Chapter 2 featured Melissa feeling down upon herself as she contemplated giving up her career with the _Evergreen Standard_, much to the sadness of Ralph. However, Ralph came up with an idea he thought might help her: a bit of a change in pace for her career. He asked her if she would write an advice column offering advice to those having troubles in their love lives in the hopes that it might cheer up Melissa to help such people. Melissa agreed to Ralph's offer, albeit rather reluctantly. So here, in this chapter, we'll see Melissa begin writing her new column. Bert has also gotten a potential idea for a fantasy novel from reading his favorites, and so you'll also see him brainstorming some ideas here with Bentley and Annie. Not much of an exciting chapter, but I think it'll be a decent one. I should mention this story will jump forward a bit in time at some points (not years and years-more like weeks or months) mainly because I don't think writing about every little detail over the couple of years this story will take place in would make for a very fun write. Also, while not an exciting chapter, I think the ending of this chapter really gets the plot moving along-keep your eyes opened!

I've decided to no longer write my legal disclaimers after the first chapter of my stories (when I was writing "_Story Of Ralph_" I used them for questions or amusing observations, but now I can't think of a way to make them funny and they seem to just be taking up unnecessary space, so there), so without further adieu, we're onto...

**CHAPTER THREE: Surprise Announcement**

Time continued to pass in the Evergreen Forest. Soon, Christmas time came. This year, the annual Christmas party was held at Schaeffer's house, which was located close to the mountains surrounding the Forest. It had been quite a gathering, although, not too surprisingly, Bert had gotten a bit too heavily into the eggnog and had subsequently gotten rather...hammered. Ralph and Melissa had been forced to drag him back to the Raccoondominium since there was no way he would have made it there on his own. Even so, Christmas was a festive time of year, as always. New Year's Day had also came and gone, and now it was the year 1996. A new year for the Forest meant a year of uncertainty for its denizens. Many new and exciting things would be awaiting them in the next twelve months, including Melissa Raccoon...

It was another typical day at the _Evergreen Standard_. Melissa was coming back from taking some pictures for this week's edition of the _Standard_, the first one of the new year. New Year's had not been _entirely _uneventful in the Forest...that night a fire had broken out at the home of Henry Rogers, a beaver who was an old friend of Ralph's father. He and his wife had been drinking that night to celebrate New Year's and they had accidentally knocked a candle on the kitchen table over, causing their house to burst into flames. Neither of them had been hurt, but their home completely burnt to the ground. As they had nowhere to stay, the Rogers were staying at the house of Henry's friend Erik Tutu, who was the father of Cedric's wife Sophia. _"Poor Henry_," Melissa thought to herself as she walked along, "_between losing his best friend and his house burning down, he's had a rough year._"

Melissa had a rough past month as well. She had suddenly started feeling empty inside, and she had been unsure as to why. She had frantically tried to thing of what could be causing her to feel so unsatisfied and unhappy with herself, and she had ultimately decided her job was most likely to blame. She had wondered if the career path she had ultimately chosen was the right one for her, and had stunned her husband when she had told him she was strongly considering quitting her career. She felt unsure what to do, and Ralph could hardly stand seeing her so upset. But he had come to her aid and offered to help spice up her career with the _Standard_: he had asked her if she would like to write her very own weekly column, providing relationship advice to those having difficulties in their romantic lives. Melissa had decided to accept her husband's offer, and before Christmas Ralph had placed an article in the _Standard_ asking fellow citizens whose relationships needed a tune-up to send letters in for Melissa to reply to.

Melissa has felt a little better since then. Ralph was willing to help her get through her difficult time, and plus, this was certainly going to be an interesting experience; she had never really had her own column before. But still, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous about her new venture. She wasn't a very good typist at all; she had never been terribly fond of sitting down for hours at a time as she had preferred getting some exercise. As such, she had never truly felt comfortable sitting in front of a typewriter or a keyboard; that was why she hadn't written any articles before. But Ralph had told her she should write down her advice and he would then proceed to type it up for her. While she was glad Ralph was kind enough to offer his help, she knew he was still not very good with computers, so she could only wonder how this could possibly turn out. This could potentially end up being a spectacular disaster. Not to mention, while Melissa was pretty sure she knew a thing or two about how to successfully make a relationship work, considering she had been married to Ralph for a third of her life, she wasn't sure people would _actually_ be willing to listen to her advice...

Melissa slowly marched her way into the _Standard'_s office. Ralph was sitting at his editor's desk, typing up an article on his computer per usual. Bert was sitting at another computer, humming to himself. She wondered what he could be typing. She remembered Bert was starting to work on his very own fantasy novel; something about a mystical wizard or something. The past couple weeks, he, Bentley, and Annie had spent a couple of afternoons brainstorming ideas at Bert's old clubhouse. While fantasy novels were not her cup of tea, she had wished him the best of luck in his endeavor, even if she felt pretty certain it might turn out disastrous...

Ralph enthusiastically greeted Melissa as she walked in. "Ah, Melissa, you're back. How did those photos come out?"

Melissa smiled. "I think they came out great, Ralph. I can't help but feel sorry about poor old Henry, though. The last year has been really rough on him."

"Oh, I know," Ralph agreed. "I remember my father's funeral. Henry was bawling his eyes out when he had to speak at the funeral. I can still remember what he said; how he wished it had been him instead of Dad because Dad still owed him for all those times he had covered for him to keep him from getting fired from the upholstery company. I don't think Henry's really been the same since my Dad died."

"And now his house has burned down, too," Melissa added, "poor Henry."

"Well," Bert chimed in from his computer, "I suppose that's what happens when you get carelessly drunk..."

Ralph scowled. "You of _all _people should know that, Bert..."

Bert innocently grinned. "Who, me? I would _never _do that!"

Melissa sighed. "I guess that it wasn't you who broke the coffee table at Schaeffer's Christmas party, was it?"

"Heheh," Bert gulped.

"Well, anyways, it's nice of Erik to let Henry and his wife stay over at his house until they can get back on their feet again," Ralph said. "Say, Bert," he said, turning to Bert, "whatever happened to Clancy, anyways? You know, his son. We used to go to school with him, and you used to be in that band with him..."

Bert's eyes bulged. "I don't want to talk about that! That was a very dark time in my life and I would rather _not_ talk about that."

Ralph scratched his chin. Bert seemed to be so secretive about his time in Vancouver. He had never talked to either he or Melissa in full detail about what had happened to him in the city. All he had ever really told them was that Don Ringtail and Donny Davis had screwed him over and he had then proceeded to go through a whole slew of trouble before he had made it back here. It seemed to be something he _really _did not want to talk about.

"Oh, sorry," Ralph apologized. "Sorry to bring up those memories again. But have you heard about Clancy lately? I'm just curious. I haven't seen him in over ten years."

"Funny thing, he wrote me a letter not too long ago. Seems he's out of the music business altogether. Settled down in Kelowna and got married. If I remember right, he told me he'd just had a kid. I think he's a lawyer now, too."

"Huh. Time really does change people...I never would have taken Clancy as someone who would want to practice law," Ralph muttered.

"Well, if you need me," Melissa said, "I'll be developing the photos of Henry's ruined house." With that, Melissa turned towards the dark room of the _Standard_. Despite the fact that the _Standard_ had updated from typewriters to computers, she preferred to develop her pictures the old-fashioned way. It suited her best, and besides, she could always do some thinking in there...

"Hold on a minute, dear," Ralph called for her, "aren't you forgetting something?"

"What am I forgetting?"

"Melissa, today's the day you start your new advice column, remember?"

"Oh!" Melissa remarked. "That's right, I almost did forget about..._Ask Melissa_. Right, I remember. Did we get any letters sent to us?" She was a little worried that nobody had written in...

"Quite a few, actually," Bert replied, "I think five or six. Ralphie's got 'em in his desk somewhere, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Ralph smiled as he opened up a drawer in the editor's desk and pulled out a few envelopes, "here you are, honey. Well, are you ready to start your new article?"

Melissa felt a little nervous. "I suppose so, Ralph," she said, "I'm just still not entirely sure this is right for me. I mean, would people honestly want to take advice from me?"

Ralph nodded. "Of course they will! Like I said, a lot of people here respect you. That's why they wrote in the first place! After a while, I'm sure you'll grow to love this."

"I hope so, Ralph..." At that moment they were interrupted by a loud noise from Bert's computer, sounding not too unlike a spaceship of some sort.

"What in the world was that?" Ralph shouted, quite alarmed.

Bert sheepishly grinned. "It wasn't me..."

Ralph got up from his desk and walked over to Bert's computer.

"3D Pinball, Space Cadet," Ralph read from the screen, noticing a pig looking not too unlike Lloyd, Boyd, and Floyd sitting in a space ship above a space-themed pinball table. "Bert, there's a time and place for games, and work is _not_ the proper time and place..." Ralph sighed. Bert's birthday had been just yesterday. "_Thirty-four years old and still sometimes I swear he's a child trapped inside a man's body..._" Ralph mused to himself.

"I thought the volume was muted on this thing," Bert groaned. Ralph had just caught him slacking off on the job.

"Look, Bert," Ralph said, "I think we need an interview with the Evergreen Forest fire chief, about the fire that happened at Henry's house. You know, to go with the photos. Think you can do that?"

Bert nodded. "Of course I can!" he replied, picking up a pen and a notepad. "Bert Raccoon, Ace Reporter on duty!" With that, Bert walked out of the _Standard'_s office while Melissa took a seat at the desk he had just vacated.

"Remember," Ralph spoke to her, "just write down your advice on paper. When you're done, hand it to me and I'll type it up for you. Feel free to take your time."

"Okay," Melissa replied as she took a look at the letters sent to her. "Let's see what we have here..." Melissa took a look at the first letter: "_Dear Melissa: My wife says she has grown bored of me. She says I have changed a whole lot in the five years we have been married. She's told me that I have no passion and used to be much more romantic back when we were dating. She told me just the other day that she was strongly considering divorcing me. Perhaps I have become a boring husband. I don't want her to leave me, what do you think I should do to win her over again?  
><em>_Bob__._"

Melissa placed her finger to her chin as she thought of what she would do were she in "Bob"'s situation. "Hmm...what would I do..."

Melissa quickly wrote at the bottom of the letter, "_Dear Bob: If I were you, I would consider being more spontaneous and unpredictable. Your wife probably feels that life has become a routine for the two of you and that there are no longer any surprises in your lives. Perhaps doing something romantic out of the blue will put the spark back in your marriage._" She hoped Bob would take her advice.

Melissa took a look at the next letter. "_Dear Melissa: I am a single mother with one child. Never been married before. I've spent pretty much my whole adult life alone. Lately, however, I've taken a bit of an interest in a dear friend of mine. He's friendly, charming, imaginative, and he can really make me laugh. However, he has his eyes set on someone much younger than me. I can't help but wonder if he'll ever notice me. What should I do to get his attention? A Lonely Heart._"

Melissa thought that particular tone of writing sounded awfully familiar to her. "_Don't I know someone just like this?_" she thought. "_It's probably just a coincidence..._"

As she was preparing to write her response, Ralph promptly slammed his fists on his desk. "Dammit! The computer froze again! Oh, I think this thing hates me..." he shook his head. "Well, at least I remembered to save my article this time..."

Melissa chuckled lightly to herself seeing her husband getting so frustrated. "_I guess he is getting a little better at using these__..._"

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Bentley and Annie were gathered at Bert's old clubhouse. Today had been a school day for them; school had been pretty uneventful for the young couple. Bentley had brought his fairly new laptop with him to the clubhouse. Today, he and his girlfriend were going to help Bert brainstorm some ideas for his new fantasy novel he was preparing to write.<p>

Of course, there _was_ something missing...

"Where on earth is Bert, anyways?" Bentley wondered aloud. "He's supposed to be here already."

"True," Annie agreed, "he's usually already here. I wonder where he could have gone off to?"

Bentley thought for a moment. "Oh great. He's probably over at my sister's place..."

"He really loves Lisa, doesn't he?"

"Oh yeah," Bentley nodded. "He's been crazy for her as long as I can remember! He's always making up excuses to go see her at the old elementary school."

"But does she love him?" Annie asked her boyfriend.

Bentley shook his head. "No, she doesn't. I asked her what she thought of Bert and she told me she thought he was a very good friend, a helpful guy...and that's all."

"Poor Bert," Annie replied, "I think your sister should at least give him a chance. I mean, he's done a lot for her..."

"I know, he helped her adjust to living in the Forest when none of us had any idea how to help her out. I wouldn't mind if Bert wound up with Lisa. But I don't think it's going to happen. I've tried to tell him a few times, but he doesn't listen to me..."

"Well, that does remind me of something I've been meaning to tell you, Bentley," Annie said.

"And that is?"

"You know my mom, right?" Annie asked.

"Hard not to know her," Bentley laughed. "I'm surprised she actually likes me. I was a little afraid she was going to try to drive the two of us apart."

"My mom's not like that," Annie laughed. "But anyways, I can't help but think she likes Bert."

"Well, everyone likes Bert," Bentley replied. "_Mostly_ everyone, anyways. I'm not sure he's got an enemy in the whole Forest. He's hard _not _to like."

"I know, but I mean a little more than as a friend. I think Mom has a crush on him. She's never told me in person, but I can't help but get the feeling that she has some feelings for him."

"Your mom has a crush on Bert?" Bentley wasn't sure how to respond to that. "That's...odd. How do you know this?"

"Well, there's a few things I've noticed," Annie answered. "The way she looks at him when he comes over to visit. Not to mention, I've overheard the two of them talking before; I've heard her trying to flirt with him a few times. Not to mention, she talks about him, well, _quite _often..."

"Well, that's kind of weird," Bentley shrugged. "But, uh, Annie, isn't your mom just a little too, you know..."

"Old?" Annie finished. "Not really, she's only a couple of years older than Bert. She's thirty-five. Same age as your aunt, just a few months older."

"Oh, I never asked how old your mother was because I didn't want to upset you," Bentley admitted. "I thought she was at least forty-five."

"Bentley..." Annie growled, punching Bentley lightly in his arm. "I thought I told you how I was born?"

"I didn't remember," Bentley replied, being honest. "But as I said, don't you think that's a little weird your mother would be carrying a torch for Bert? I mean, they have so little in common..."

"Maybe opposites attract. I suppose if Bert wanted her, they could make things work out..."

Bentley visualized in his mind what could happen if Bert and Maxie became romantically involved with each other. In his mind, he pictured Bert showing up at Annie's front doorstep as he greeted Maxie with a bouquet of flowers, a goofy smile etched across his face. The two of them sitting at the Blue Spruce Cafe, having dinner together, holding paws as they gazed lovingly into each others' eyes. The two of them laughing together at a bowling alley as Bert bowled a gutter ball. Them sitting together on Maxie's couch, cuddling each other. Bert taking Maxie by her paw as he led her to Maxie's bedroom, giddy smiles upon their faces...

Bentley instantly winced just imagining that. "_Oh God, ugh!_" he thought. Maxie was, he felt, due to be his future mother-in-law. He didn't want to picture his future mother-in-law and his best friend...in _those _types of situations. Bert was like a big brother to him. The idea of his "big brother" dating his girlfriend's mother seemed _so _unnatural to him. "_That is_ **_beyond _**_disturbing_. _I hope they don't end up together_..." Bentley thought. He couldn't seem to get the image out of his head. "_Please don't tell me this is going to haunt my nightmares..._"

Annie looked at Bentley, noticing how quiet he had become. "Something wrong?"

"No, no," Bentley replied. "Do you think Bert would actually date your mother?"

"Honestly, I don't think it would happen. I can't see Bert giving up on your sister anytime soon," Annie responded.

"_Whew__!_" Bentley breathed a sigh of relief. "_That still isn't going to get those images out of my head..._" he thought. "Ah, but suppose Bert _did _want to go out with your mom. Would you be comfortable with that?"

"I don't think I would mind. Bert is a very nice man. I know he might be goofy-especially seeing that we're helping him with his novel-and a bit awkward around girls, but I'm sure if they went out together Bert would treat Mom right."

"I don't know, I mean, if it were _my_ mom..."

At that moment, none other than Bert himself came sauntering into the clubhouse.

"Bert, where on Earth have you been?" Bentley asked.

"Heheh, sorry little buddy," Bert sheepishly admitted. "I was just over at Lisa's place. Just figured I'd drop by and pay her visit. I figured I should properly thank her for her Christmas gift for me."

"Figured as much..." Bentley teased.

"Hey, I never teased you about Annie," Bert frowned. He never liked it when Bentley teased him for having a crush on his sister. Even if it was just playful teasing, it still bothered him.

"Fair point," Bentley agreed.

"Alright you two," Annie spoke up. "No need for you two to argue. We need to get to brainstorming, don't we?"

"Oh yeah!" Bert exclaimed.

"I'm on it," Bentley said as he opened up the document on his laptop.

"Now last time," Bentley remarked, "we came up with the name for our main character, the great and mighty wizard."

"Yeah-Gardos, the Magnificent!" Bert laughed. "The bravest wizard there ever was."

"I still don't understand why you would call him Gardos..." Bentley muttered. "The name doesn't make a lot of sense to me..."

"It sounds mystical to me," Bert replied. "Don't forget his apprentice in training, Marcus!"

"Oh yeah," Bentley said, looking at the rather cluttered looking document.

"I've got an idea," Annie said. "Perhaps Gardos and Marcus could have a pet of some kind...maybe a puppy?"

"A puppy?" Bert replied. "No, no. Not mystical enough. We need something better..."

"Okay then, you want mystical? How about a flying unicorn?" she smiled. "Gardos and Marcus could use the unicorn to travel from place to place throughout the kingdom of Waterland."

"A unicorn?" Bentley scowled. "Sounds a little too childish to m-"

"It's a great idea, Annie!" Bert interrupted his pal. "A unicorn sounds just right for this story!"

"But Bert, a unicorn? Really?" Bentley could hardly believe Bert thought this was actually a good idea.

"I think it's a great idea, myself," Annie smiled.

"Bentley, little buddy, don't you see? I think anything can work in this story; as long as it's mystical!"

"Okay, fine, that's a good enough point," Bentley said as he added the pet unicorn to the list of ideas. "Okay, we have our two main heroes. We have the name of the princess who is kidnapped that our heroes have to save: Luna. Now, we need a villain for our heroes to face off against." Bentley thought to himself. "Hmm...how about...the king's royal adviser! He could be fed up with the lack of attention the king and queen give him and decide to rebel against them. He steals a rare jewel that grants him magical powers, ties up the king and queen..."

"And then kidnaps the princess!" Bert finished. "Bentley, that's a great idea!" The two pals high-fived each other.

"I don't know, guys," Annie replied, already starting to question these two's idea for a novel, "that sounds a little...cliche to me. I swear I've read books with plots that sounded just like that..."

"But Annie," Bert smiled, "it's a great plot, don't you think?"

"Well, I like it, but, I swear I've read it before."

"It'll be great," Bentley smiled. "Alright, we need some more characters. Do Gardos and Marcus have any friends?"

"Hmm..." Annie thought. "I think Gardos should live in a castle...with two of his close friends."

"Two of his close friends?" Bert thought for a moment. "Hmm...not a bad idea. But what should their names be?"

"I haven't a clue..." Bentley answered.

"Let me see..." Bert said as he looked around the clubhouse, looking for an idea. "Ah-ha! I've got it. How about...Blodwyn and Alvara? Gardos' childhood friends who took him while he was in magic school."

"Um, Bert," Annie asked curiously, "do you have to base all your characters on you and your friends?"

"It's only coincidental," Bert smiled.

"I think this is going to be the greatest novel ever written!" Bentley smirked.

"I sure hope this doesn't turn out to be as big a disaster as I think it'll be..." Annie sighed to herself. She just knew this was going to turn out badly...

* * *

><p>Some more time had passed in the Evergreen Forest and now it was the first of February. Not much of importance had changed in the previous month for Bert and Ralph, but as for Melissa...<p>

It was a cold morning in the Forest. Melissa was sitting at the kitchen table, already dressed for today. Ralph and Bert were off at Willow's Store, grocery shopping, as today was an off day for the _Standard_. Melissa was certainly a bit of an unusual woman; to tell the truth, she had never been terribly fond of shopping. Melissa was lightly humming to herself as she drank from her coffee cup. She had just gotten the mail out of the box and was looking through the envelopes that arrived.

"Hmm...junk mail, junk mail, junk mail, bills, a fan letter...A fan letter! Let's see what this one says..." Melissa opened up the envelope to find a letter addressed to her.

"_Dear Melissa,_" she read the letter aloud. "_I would like to thank you personally for the advice you have given me. __Before I wrote to you, I never thought I would end up with Patrick. I had wanted to tell him how I felt, but I was never able to as I thought he would reject me. But thanks to the advice you gave me, I was finally able to ask him out. It turned out he loved me all along and we went out on a date. I think the two of us are going to go steady now! Melissa, I could not thank you enough for the advice you gave me. You have really made quite an impact on my life. Thanks for the help! Scared and Lonely (no more)."  
><em>

Melissa smiled reading that letter. She had been a bit nervous about the whole advice column deal. She was unsure people would want to listen to what she would have to say. But a letter like this really brought a smile to her face. "Wow," she said to herself. "My advice made a difference in someone's life. How about that?"

Things had really gone up and down for her over the past couple of months. She had felt empty and unsure of what direction to turn to in her life. It had been the lowest she had felt in a long time. She had been unsure of Ralph's idea at first, but after almost a month of giving advice...she had to admit. She actually really liked this. She really liked knowing she could help make a difference in people's lives she didn't even know. Maybe Ralph was right. All she needed was something new in her life to make things a little better.

At that moment, Ralph and Bert came in the front door, carrying some grocery bags with them. The two of them were having a conversation.

"Say, Ralphie boy, what's up with all the babies? We saw about five mothers with newborns," Bert asked his friend.

"I don't know," Ralph said, "seems the Evergreen Forest is experiencing a bit of a baby boom. Last January, about seventy children were born in the Evergreen Hospital. I wonder if it has something to do with that blizzard we had last April..."

Bert laughed. "Oh, I bet..."

Ralph walked into the kitchen. "Ah, Melissa, you're up. We got the groceries for you."

"I see that," Melissa nodded. "I was just sitting here, thinking about my new job."

"Well, Melissa, what do you think of it so far? If you don't like it or you don't feel comfortable with it, I can always stop running it..." Ralph was still a little worried Melissa might quit the _Standard_. He had tried the best he could to help her out, but he knew if she still wanted to leave, he couldn't force her to stay, as it wouldn't have been right of him...

"Ralph, if I may be honest..."

"Yes?"

"Ralph, I love it! I got a fan letter today from a woman who said she finally got together with the man she had been in love with for years. You know Ralph, it's actually a very nice feeling knowing you've helped out people you don't even know."

"So, you're going to stay with the _Standard_?" Ralph hopefully asked.

"Of course I will," Melissa smiled, "besides, honestly, I don't think you two would be able to last very long without me. I guess I'm like the backbone of the paper," she chuckled.

"Well, that's a relief!" Ralph couldn't help but feel relieved knowing his wife had decided she would stay at the _Standard_. He had opted to still leave it up to her on whether or not she wanted to leave, and he felt she had made the right choice. "I'm just glad you're not going to be leaving us, honey."

"Yeah," Bert chimed in as he walked into the kitchen as well, "there's no way I could have gotten all those pictures by myself! And you know Ralphie boy is terrible with a camera..."

"Well, Ralph, once again, I can't thank you enough for being there for me in my tough times last year," she smiled as she embraced him. "If it hadn't been for your idea, I probably would have given up my career. Thank you."

"Like I said, Melissa, I'm always here if you need me," Ralph grinned. It made him feel overjoyed inside seeing Melissa returning to her old self. He had hated seeing her back in December; she had looked so despondent, drained of energy and life. But it looked like this advice column was really lifting her spirits up. He could see the sparkle returning to her eyes.

At that moment, the telephone rang.

"Wonder who that could be?" Bert wondered.

"I'll go get it," Melissa said as she raced into the living room and picked the phone up off the receiver. "Hello, this is Melissa Raccoon. May I please ask who is speaking?"

"Hi, Melissa!" a familiar voice cheerfully greeted her on the other end of the line. "It's me, Sophia Sneer! How are you doing, Melissa?"

"Oh, I'm doing great Sophia! This advice column Ralph asked me to write has really put the fire back into me. I feel like I'm rejuvenated!" Melissa eagerly responded.

"That's wonderful, Melissa! I heard you were thinking about quitting your job, it'd be quite a shame for you to give up. You do have quite a talent for photography," Sophia complimented her.

"So I've been told," she chuckled. "So, anyways, Sophia, what's up?"

"Oh, Cedric and I have some pretty big news we'd like to tell you," Sophia replied, "I can't wait to tell you!"

"Well, what is it?" Melissa wondered. "Go on, Sophia, spill the beans. I'd love to hear it."

"It's a surprise. I can't tell you it just yet. Cedric and I were wondering, perhaps you could meet us over at the Blue Spruce Cafe at noon? We'd like to tell you our big news there over lunch."

"Over lunch, eh?" Melissa thought to herself. "Lunch at the Blue Spruce Cafe would be nice. Alright, Sophia, we'll be there."

"Alright, see you there!" Sophia cheerfully replied as Melissa hung up the phone.

"So what was all that about?" Ralph asked.

"Oh, that was just Sophia. She and Cedric have something important to tell us and they want us to come down to the Blue Spruce Cafe by noon so they can tell us," Melissa replied.

"We'll be there, but I wonder what kind of news they have to tell us?" Ralph wondered. "Could Sneer Industries be expanding their business? Maybe they are branching out into new products..."

"Or even better," Bert piped up, "I bet he's purchasing up the remains of Milton Midas Enterprises. It's a relief hearing that crook is back behind bars again!" Bert laughed. It was true. Milton Midas had been in and out of prison the past several years on a semi-regular basis. This time he was in jail for fraud, again. Midas had always been a career con artist and had made most of his fortune off of various scams. He had recently been busted for selling fake treasure maps under the name "Colonel Jethro Smith". He had been doing this for a couple of decades, and they had only just busted him for it.

"I was glad to hear they locked him up again," Ralph said, "if there's one person who belongs in jail, it's certainly Milton Midas." Ralph had always held a huge resentment against scoundrels like Midas. "I just hope the judge doesn't go easy on him this time simply because he has money..."

"Oh, I don't think so," Bert snickered, "he's blown through so much of his fortune buying his way out of prison time that he's gotta be close to going bankrupt! I bet he's going to get some serious jail time _this_ time..."

"Well," Melissa said, adding her two cents' worth on this subject, "I usually wouldn't be happy to see anyone go to prison, but I agree. Jail is probably the only thing he'll understand. I still can't believe what he did to our old fishing hole..."

"That scoundrel..." Ralph growled. This struck a particular nerve with him. Ralph had always loved the environment ever since he was a young kit; he had once been accused by his high school classmates of being a "tree hugger". He had always wanted to be help save the environment in any way he could as he loved his Forest home; to see some people cared nothing at all about the well-being of the beauty of the Forest _really_ struck a personal chord with Ralph.

"I'll say," Bert snarled. "Because of him, I never got to catch Old Tom! I tried to catch him every summer since I was five; and I never got the chance because that jackass killed him!"

"Well, my father caught Old Tom once," Ralph remarked, "or at least, he _said_ he did when he was a young kit. He also said Tom bit the living hell out of him, too..."

Melissa decided to change the subject. "Well, we don't know what Cedric and Sophia have in store for us until they tell us in person. We'll see..."

* * *

><p>Around noon, Bert, Ralph, and Melissa were gathered around a table at the Blue Spruce Cafe.<p>

"Hmm, wonder what's keeping Cedric and Sophia?" Ralph wondered.

"I'm sure they'll be here any minute..." Melissa replied.

At that moment, Cedric and Sophia walked into the Cafe.

"Hey Cedric!" Bert enthusiastically greeted his dear friend. Bert always treasured the time he could spend with Cedric. Ever since Cedric had taken over the family business, he hadn't had as much time to spend with Bert as he used to when Cyril was in charge. Plus, the fact that Cedric had gotten married about fifteen months ago meant he had even less time to spend with Bert than he already had. Things had really changed a lot in the past two years. It made every moment the two got to spend together more worthwhile.

"Hi, Bert," Cedric waved as took a seat at the end of the table. "How's that novel of yours coming?"

"Oh, it's coming along great!" Bert shouted a little bit too loudly. "I've already completed Chapter One. I think this thing'll have somewhere around thirty-five chapters or so. I think it's going to be great!"

"I wish you luck, Bert," Cedric smiled.

"Hi, Sophia," Melissa cheerfully smiled as Sophia took a seat next to Cedric.

"It's great to see you Melissa," Sophia replied, "you know, I wonder why you and I haven't hung out together more often. Maybe something to think about?"

"Certainly," Melissa nodded, "if we can find the right time."

"Well, let's save our conversation for while we're eating," Ralph chuckled. "After all, I _did_ kind of forget breakfast this morning..." he said as his stomach growled at him, obviously displeased at his forgetfulness.

Soon enough the gang had ordered their lunch and were eagerly stuffing their faces. Bert was eating the fastest out of everyone; he had ordered a peanut butter pie, a favorite specialty of his. Schaeffer pretty much knew to expect peanut butter related orders out of him...

"So," Ralph spoke up after a while, "what's the big news you two have in store for us? Is it some kind of business deal? You aren't thinking about expanding Sneer Industries, are you?"

"Well, not quite yet," Cedric replied. "The profits we're raking in are way up from last year. I'm doing a great job with the company; we've got no need to expand our business areas just yet."

"Hmm...are you taking over the companies Milton Midas owns? They really could use someone to bring them up from the blink of oblivion..." Bert mused.

"Well, Bert, I think Milton Midas has done a pretty good job of running his businesses into the ground," Cedric had to laugh.

"Boy, has he ever!" Bert agreed. "He's got to be bankrupt. Is he bankrupt?"

"I think he's down to his last five thousand dollars," Cedric replied. "But no, I'm not buying out Midas' businesses."

"Are you branching out with new product ideas?" Melissa wondered. "I remember those hairbrushes you sent me for my birthday. Any new products you'd like to tell us about?"

"Well, we _are_ thinking about opening up a sporting goods section," Cedric smiled as Sophia rolled her eyes, "but no, that's not the news we have for you."

Bert was stumped. "Then what is it? What's new with Sneer Industries?"

"It hasn't the slightest to do with Sneer Industries," Sophia answered. "It's something...a _lot_ more personal between the two of us."

"Hmm..." Ralph thought. "You got me. I haven't a clue!"

"It concerns the future of the Sneer family," Cedric replied.

"The future of the Sneer family, huh?" Melissa repeated. "I wonder what you mean by that...unless..."

"You don't mean...?" Bert realized.

Cedric nodded.

"That's right," Sophia beamed. "I'm pregnant!"

"Wow," Ralph said, taking it all in. One of his oldest friends was expecting a child. He hadn't been prepared for that one. He had expected something to do with Sneer Industries. "Congratulations, you two! How long have you known?"

"Well," Sophia thought, "about three days. I'd been feeling pretty sick about a week before that. I kept having to go to the bathroom every morning to...you know...hurl."

"We couldn't help but be suspicious," Cedric added, "so three days ago we went to Evergreen Hospital to make sure it was what we thought it was. Sure enough, we're expecting! I can still hardly believe I'm going to be a father! We weren't planning to try for a couple of years, but I guess it was our time."

"Figured it would be you first out of all us," Bert laughed. "Have ya told ol' Hose-Nose yet?"

"Well, not yet," Sophia admitted.

"He's already had a stroke that's left him severely handicapped," Cedric chuckled, "and well, the last thing we want to do is cause Pop to drop dead a few years too early!"

Bert and Ralph both had to laugh at that comment. "I imagine it would be pretty overwhelming for him," Ralph agreed.

"Any ideas for names yet?" Bert blurted out.

"Uh, Bert," Cedric nervously replied, "I do believe it's just a _little_ bit too early to be thinking about that. I mean, the baby's not even close to halfway developed yet. I think we should wait a little longer before thinking about that."

"Sounds fair enough," Bert agreed. "Cedric, how do ya feel knowing in nine months you're going to be a Dad?"

"A little nervous," Cedric had to admit, "but a little excited as well. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a child, I'm eager to get the opportunity. And it's going to be here sooner than I know it."

"You know, it's funny," Ralph replied. "Bert and I were just talking this morning at Willow's Store about how it seems there's a baby boom in the Forest. Seems there's been a lot of babies born this month; I imagine it must have something to do with that blizzard we had in April."

"When you've got nothing better to do..." Bert started.

"Okay, Bert, no need to be so vulgar," Sophia interrupted him. "But I've been thinking over the past three days. I just found out I was pregnant now and it's probably been about three weeks or so. That means the baby will probably be born in October."

"So?" Bert replied.

"So, our anniversary is on October 16th," Cedric answered.

"Wouldn't it be something," Sophia grinned, "if the baby was born on our second wedding anniversary? Or close to then?"

"I'll say," Ralph said. "I can definitely see the Forest is going to be having a ton of new arrivals this year. I think our population could shoot up," he laughed.

"Any chance that I might get to play with the little guy when he comes into the world?" Bert hopefully asked. He has always loved children, and he had quite a reputation of being good with them. "I'd love to have kids someday...well, I probably already do from my...past," he embarrassingly admitted. "And I'll probably never get to see 'em."

"Of course you can, Bert!" Cedric enthusiastically replied.

"Well, you do forget it could be a girl," Sophia added. "We only just found out; we haven't a clue what gender the baby is."

"Well, anyways, congratulations you two," Ralph smiled. It was nice to know there would be a new arrival in the Evergreen Forest this year. "I suppose we're going to be having a baby shower soon, aren't we, Melissa? Melissa?"

Ralph and Bert were pretty excited for their friends, but oddly enough...Melissa wasn't. She had been completely silent ever since Sophia had announced she was expecting a child. She didn't know why, but suddenly she had gone from happy and cheerful to oddly...quiet.

"Melissa, honey, is something wrong?" Ralph asked out of curiosity. He wondered why she wouldn't be happy for Cedric and Sophia. Melissa had always liked children...hadn't she? "You've been awfully quiet."

"Yes, Melissa. Aren't you glad for me and Cedric?" Sophia asked her friend.

"Oh, uh," Melissa quickly spoke up. "Yes, of course, Ralph. We'll have the baby shower. I think sometime next month should be fine. Congratulations, you two, I wish both of you the best of luck," she hurriedly replied. She had said that with very little joy or enthusiasm in her voice; she sounded a little...upset about something.

"Huh," Ralph wondered. "Something's wrong with Melissa," he said to Bert. "She was so lively and excited this morning, and now she's...quiet."

"Do you think it could be her time of th-" Ralph then proceeded to slap Bert.

"_Bert_, do **_not_** go there!" Ralph shouted at him.

Thoughts were racing through Melissa's mind. It was so...strange. She had been so happy this morning; she had decided to keep her job at the _Standard_ and things were looking up for her. But Cedric and Sophia had just announced they were expecting, and she had suddenly felt oddly depressed. She had no clue why.

"_Sophia is one of my closer friends__,_" she thought to herself, feeling extremely confused. "_I should be happy for her; in nine months she's going to be a mother. I'm_ _certain she and Cedric will make fine parents...but, I should be feeling happy for her. But yet, for some reason...I don't. I don't get it. Why wouldn't I be happy for them?_"

Melissa thought some more to herself. She had never had a jealousy problem in her life, unlike her husband. Ralph struggled with jealousy issues on a semi-regular basis; it was one of his bigger flaws. But now, she couldn't help but wonder...

_"Could it be__...that I'm jealous of Sophia__?"_ Melissa wondered.

**END CHAPTER THREE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Well, there's chapter three. Shorter than the first two. Honestly, not as good a chapter as the first two. I admit this is more of a "bridging" chapter of sorts, connecting Chapters 2 and 4. Sometimes in stories, you need chapters like these. Necessary, but not the best chapters. Still, I think this was decent enough.

There's a reason I jumped from January to February in this fic...I thought showing Melissa getting accustomed to her advice column would actually be rather boring for me to write. Some might want to see that, but myself, I can't really make something like that really exciting. If it's going to bore me writing it, I figure it's best for me to leave it out as that usually makes me think it will bore my readers too. You get the idea that's she grown to love it anyways. Hope nobody is upset about that.

Now as for Bert's novel...I'll come clean and admit I am taking a personal dig at myself here. (Hey, everyone should be able to laugh at themselves, right?) Before I wrote _Story Of Ralph_ and before I even became acquainted with the Raccoons, I actually DID try my hand at writing my own fantasy adventure novel. It was a story about a timid eagle and his friend, a brash and sarcastic beaver, taking on a villainous warlord who happened to be a magpie, as he had conquered the island the story had taken place on and taken the eagle's love interest (a falcon) and the beaver's girlfriend hostage. They went on a quest to save the island and rescue their girls. Unfortunately for me, I did an _awful _job planning and preparing this one...I tried writing it too fast and ended up running short on ideas _very_ fast. By chapter five (or was it six, I honestly don't remember), I managed to get myself completely stuck and I was unsure of what direction to take in the novel. I ended up getting extremely frustrated, gave up working on it, and even at the time thought I was a terrible writer and strongly considered giving up writing for good as I felt my failure proved I had no talent for it. Well, it's certainly a good thing I didn't give up, isn't it? Otherwise, you would have never gotten to see _Story of Ralph_, _Wonderful L__ife_, _Fly By Night_ (which is on a wee bit of a hiatus right now, I WILL finish it though even if it takes me years), or this story. Maybe that's why I was really surprised I completed _Story of Ralph_: I actually managed to see something all the way through without getting myself stuck somewhere along the way! Certainly made me feel inspired. Although, I think part of the reason my novel might have failed is because I wasn't writing it for any particular audience; I never posted it to the Internet. I've still got the file on one of my computers somewhere, but I've decided there's no way I could ever finish it. So it's just going to end up sitting there...So I am sort of making fun of myself with Bert trying to write his own fantasy novel. Needless to say, as you can pretty much already see, I'm going to make it as bad as I possibly can. It's going to be a _colossal_ failure for Bert...

And yes, Sophia and Cedric are expecting a child. That was the surprise announcement. I figured they might as well, especially since it helped move the plot forward. You can see some wheels starting to turn inside Melissa's head, as she's starting to feel a little jealous of them...

As for Bentley imagining Bert and Maxie becoming lovers...I just thought that was funny. Don't tell me _you_ wouldn't be at least slightly weirded out if one of your best friends decided to date your mother-in-law...or your mother. I know I would for sure! Would I tolerate it? Honestly...I don't know. If he's not extremely open with me about it, I suppose I could learn to live with. Of course, if my friend were asking me to start calling him "Dad" or something like that, I probably would want to break his nose...

So that's chapter three. Stay tuned for chapter four, coming in a couple of weeks, in which Melissa has a strange dream, Bert does a little more work on his novel, Melissa and Maxie have a conversation, and Melissa comes to a realization about what is _really_ missing from her life...(you already know from the summary, so, no spoilers.)


	4. Chapter 4: Realizations

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, I know it might be a surprise to see Chapter 4 here so soon after Chapter 3, but as I've said, this is a story I feel I can write fairly quickly. Anyways, so far this story has been a real emotional roller-coaster ride for poor Melissa. Things started off wonderfully with her celebrating a birthday with Ralph, but she soon became depressed and began questioning her career, going so far as to the point of considering quitting her job at the _Standard_. But Ralph, being the good husband that he is, stepped in and offered her a new article providing relationship advice. Last chapter, she started feeling a bit unsure but after a little while grew to love her new column as things looked like they had gotten better for her. But then, Cedric and Sophia announced that they were going to have a baby, and suddenly she felt depressed again. In this following chapter, we'll see Melissa having odd dreams involving children and ultimately coming to realize what truly is missing from her life all along...and you'll also see a bit of a glimpse into Bert's fantasy novel he's been writing too. Hope you've all enjoyed this story so far, because, let me see, this is about to _really_ become emotional starting with most likely this chapter...

As I said last chapter, no more legal disclaimers outside of opening chapters, so let's dive into...

**CHAPTER** **FOUR: Realizations**

It was a warm and sunny summer day in the Evergreen Forest. Summer always brought tons of fun to the Forest. It was the time of the year that the children got out of school for their summer vacation. They had a few months free to do as they pleased without worrying about school assignments or homework. Kite-flying, swimming, fishing, hiking, camping, and, for the less adventurous children, video games, television, and movies. It was a great time of year to be a kid. It was also a perfect time for outdoor activities for adults, including, of course, Melissa Raccoon...

Today, Melissa was taking a walk through the Evergreen Forest, humming cheerfully to herself. It was a perfect day to be outside. Not a cloud in the sky. In the summer, Melissa always liked to take a nice stroll through the Forest. It was a perfect way to get some exercise and to do some thinking. "_What a day to be outdoors,_" she thought to herself. She would have preferred that Ralph had come along with her as it would have been very nice to spend some quality time alone with her husband without Bert interrupting them. Not that she had anything against Bert, but he always seemed to interrupt them when they were alone with each other. Today, however, Ralph was busy doing something or other with Bert. She didn't remember what he was up to, but it didn't matter. It was still a very nice day to be outside.

Melissa presently came upon the Evergreen Lake. The waters looked cool, crisp, and calm. She wondered if perhaps she should take a dip in the lake...maybe...she could go furry-dipping? Melissa did have a good reputation around the Forest, but she did have to admit, she did _really_ like being a little naughty every once in a while. She knew that was a _serious_ turn-on for Ralph; she seemed so friendly and kind that it always seemed to surprise him she actually _could_ be a bad girl sometimes. Plus, it would be quite relaxing...But then, she realized that would be very impractical of her to do so. Ralph wasn't around right now; there was no reason for her to do such a thing. He probably would have been opposed to it anyways; he preferred that stuff like that be kept to their bedroom. Besides, what if someone caught her in such a state of undress? No doubt it would damage her reputation. It wasn't that Melissa really cared a whole lot about her reputation, but she didn't want people to think of her in _that_ kind of light. "_What the hell am I thinking__?_" She quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head.

Before long Melissa came across a young raccoon kit sitting by the side of the lake, holding a fishing pole. No doubt this kid was celebrating its summer vacation by going fishing. As she approached the child, she noticed some of its features. The child was a boy, probably around seven or eight years old. He wore a buttoned-up green shirt and a scarf that looked almost like a miniature version of Ralph's old scarf that his late Uncle Rocky had given him. She observed the child's facial features. Straight ears and a small, straightened-out nose that looked a lot like her own. Small, droopy eyes that looked considerably like Ralph's eyes. This child seemed oddly familiar, somehow...Still, Melissa had always had a bit of a fondness for children, so she figured it would be nice to talk to the kid...

Melissa walked up to the young boy. "So, school's out for summer, isn't it?"

The child turned his gaze from the lake towards her. "Oh, ah, yes, ma'am. School's been out for about a week."

"Having any luck fishing there?" she cheerfully asked the boy.

"Well, not really. My Dad got me these fishing lures, but they're not really any good..." the child admitted as he turned his gaze back towards the lake.

"Hmm...oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Melissa Raccoon. What's your name?" Melissa was surprised she had forgotten to introduce herself to the child.

The kit turned his gaze back towards her, a very confused look in his eyes. That look in his eyes...it reminded her so much of Ralph's when he was confused...but why? "Um...I think I'm done fishing today," the young raccoon hurriedly replied, sounding eager to leave for some reason. "I gotta get back home. See ya later, crazy lady!" With that, the little raccoon tossed his fishing pole aside as he got up and ran away from the lake.

Melissa was confused. Why did the kid run away from her? What did she do? He didn't even give her his name. For some odd reason...she felt strangely compelled to chase after him, to find out who he was; and who were his parents.

"Wait a minute!" Melissa called after the boy. "I didn't catch your name!" The little raccoon was standing between two trees off in the distance, just staring at her and laughing.

"Catch me if you can! I'm the fastest there is; you'll never catch me!" the raccoon mocked her as he ran away from her again as she started to approach him.

"Why is he running away from me?" Melissa wondered as she tried to catch up with the kit again. This process kept repeating itself. Melissa would catch up to the child, and then he would proceed to mock her and run away from her again, shouting "You'll never catch me!" every time. But each time...Melissa noticed she would get more and more tired, and she could not catch up to the kit as fast as she could before. This was odd. Melissa didn't usually tire out so easily; she usually had more stamina.

Before too long Melissa wasn't able to keep up with the kit at all. He was way off in the distance, standing by the lake shore. Melissa was panting and heaving. She couldn't help but feel extremely weak and feeble; feelings she had rarely experienced before in her life. What was going on?

The child continued to taunt her. "You'll never catch me! There's no use in trying..." he laughed.

Melissa tried her hardest to catch up to him one more time...only for her to stumble and trip over a rock. She found herself falling head over heels into the Evergreen Lake. "_Great..._" she thought. "_I **was** thinking about taking a dip in the lake, but not like_ **_this_**_..._"

The child heartily laughed at Melissa's misfortune. "Hah! I told you wouldn't be able to catch me. You're just wasting your time!" At this moment, the kit raced out of sight. She could still hear him laughing at her off in the distance.

Melissa happened to take a look at her reflection in the lake...and received the shock of a lifetime. "What the...?" she said, aghast. "I...I've become an old lady!" It was true. Her reflection showed that she had aged considerably the whole time she had been chasing the little raccoon; she was now an elderly raccoon. She had gone from being thirty-five to most likely around seventy years old. Her fur had become a light grey and she had become wrinkly and feeble. She bore an odd resemblance to Ralph's Aunt Gertie...she figured she was probably about the same age. "_What's happened to me__?_" she wondered.

She could faintly hear the young boy's taunting from over the horizon..."_You'll never catch me...you'll never catch me..._"

"No...come back..." Melissa weakly called out. "Come back! Come back..."

"_You'll never catch me..._"

"Come back...come back...come back!"

"_Melissa, wake up! Please, wake up!_" another voice suddenly called out.

"Come back..." was all she could respond with, as she suddenly found herself being shaken back and forth. Her heart was pounding faster than last year's Kentucky Derby-winning racehorse.

"Honey, wake up!" the voice came from right next to her.

Melissa turned around to find...

...the concerned eyes of her husband gazing at her; with a look of worry upon his face. "Honey, are you alright?" Ralph worriedly asked her.

"I think so..." Melissa replied, still unsure. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare," Ralph replied, as he clutched her paw tightly, hoping to provide some comfort.

Melissa realized she was back in her bed at the Raccoondominium. It was a cold mid-February morning. "_What was I dreaming about?_" she wondered to herself. For some odd reason, she couldn't remember. "I was?"

"Yes," Ralph nodded. "You were tossing and turning like crazy. You kept calling out in your sleep for someone or something to come back to you."

"Huh." It seemed so odd that she couldn't remember what she was dreaming about. It had definitely been something upsetting, since she did feel rather distressed right now. But what had she been dreaming of?

"Melissa..." Ralph sympathetically asked her, "...did you have that dream where I died again?"

Melissa did remember that dream. She had that one every good once in a while. In that particular dream, she and Ralph had gone on a camping trip together, spending time in the mountains. However, a horrible accident had happened: while Ralph was crossing a rope bridge, it collapsed underneath him and he had fallen into the chasm below to his demise. That dream had really shaken her up; she remembered absolutely bawling her eyes out in that dream as she knew she had lost her husband. What a relief it had been when she woke up to find him right next to her. She still did remember something Ralph had told her when he was younger; that dreams often had some kind of deeper hidden meaning to them. She really hoped that didn't mean something bad would happen to Ralph in the near future; she couldn't bear the thought of anything unfortunate befalling him. Her heart would likely never heal from the pain of losing him...

She quickly thought to herself. Had that been what she had been dreaming about? "_No__,"_ she quickly realized. "_I don't remember going camping. What did I dream about__?_" she repeated in her mind. "I don't think that's what I was dreaming about, Ralph...I can't remember..." Ralph could see his wife looked very rattled; she was rather...scared by whatever she had encountered in her dream.

"Honey...come here," Ralph said, gently embracing her as he hoped he could make her feel better. "You don't have to be afraid, Melissa; I'm right here. It's only a dream; nothing in your dreams can hurt you."

But much to Ralph's surprise, he found Melissa pushing him off of her. "Ralph...I want to be alone right now."

"Why?" Ralph did not quite follow her.

"I don't know, Ralph...I just want to be by myself right now. You mind if I try to sleep downstairs on the couch?"

Ralph didn't understand. She had just had a nightmare and looked quite scared by her dream. But she didn't want him to help her; instead, she wanted to be alone. He didn't want her to leave; he felt she needed him right now. But he couldn't make her stay...

"Whatever you want, honey," Ralph sighed. Tonight was going to be a lonely night...

"Thank you," Melissa replied as she gathered her pillow off the bed and headed out the door and down the stairs.

"_What's wrong with her?_" Ralph wondered. "_I thought that new advice column would really help her out. She seemed so happy to be able to provide advice to people. But since Sophia told us she was pregnant, she's become rather distant and quiet. I don't like to see her like this; I wish she were back to her old self..._" Ralph just hoped everything would get better soon enough. There didn't seem to be much he could do for her if she didn't want his help...

Melissa laid down on the couch as she placed the blanket on top of her. Maybe down here she would be able to get some sleep...truthfully, she didn't really want to talk to Ralph. He had already had to deal with enough of her problems lately and she felt she was beginning to tire him out. Besides, he needed his sleep. She felt it would be best for her to sleep down here so she couldn't bother him with her problems. He had done the best he could do to help her, but she was beginning to realize that whatever was wrong, it didn't have anything to do with her career...

Melissa had almost closed her eyes when, suddenly, it hit her.

"_You'll never catch me..._" She could hear that voice again...

Melissa suddenly remembered her dream in full detail. Her walking along the lake shore. The strange child she had come across. Her chasing after him and being unable to catch up to him. The child constantly mocking her. Her becoming elderly. Her calling out for the child after he had ran away.

Melissa felt confused. She had never had such a strange dream before in all her life. Suddenly, Ralph's words ran through her mind again: "_You know, Melissa, I've always thought dreams were fascinating things. I think many of them try to tell us something. You know, as in, they have hidden meanings to them. It's up to us to figure out what they mean, I t__hink._"

No doubt that dream was trying to tell her something. But _what_? What was it trying to tell her? She couldn't even begin to think of what it could possibly mean. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to her. But one thing in particular really bothered Melissa; and no doubt would keep her from going back to sleep tonight. That child. He looked so strangely...familiar. His face looked so much like hers, especially his nose. And his eyes? They were slightly droopy, just like Ralph's were. Not to mention the scarf he had been wearing looked so much like Ralph's...

"_Was that...our child?_" Melissa wondered to herself. She couldn't tell for sure, but one thing was for certain: she wasn't sure it was a good idea to discuss this dream with Ralph...

* * *

><p>Weeks had passed and now it was the first week of March. February had been a bit of a rough month for Bert, Ralph, and Melissa...well, primarily Ralph and Melissa.<p>

Today, Bert and Ralph were at the _Standard_'s office. Ralph was sitting at his editor's desk, typing up yet another article for this week's issue. Ralph always felt most comfortable in his natural element. "_So far, this year's been pretty difficult for Melissa and myself,_" he idly thought to himself. "_But I think the rest of this year will be better for the two of us. Look at this month, for example. Today is Wednesday; this Friday we're holding Sophia's baby shower at the Raccoondominium. Not to mention in a couple of weeks, the _Standard _will turn ten years old. This'll be an interesting month..._" Ralph was trying to remain hopeful, as Melissa's depression had started to really bring down Ralph as well. He had given her the day off today as was feeling rundown lately. It seemed she had yet another bad dream and had ended up sleeping on the couch once again. This whole past month, she had acted very oddly. One day she would perfectly fine, and the next day she would be quiet and distant. What could possibly be her problem?

Bert, on the other hand, was in a pretty good mood as usual. He was sitting at his computer, eating a peanut butter sandwich, his usual lunch. What Ralph didn't know is that Bert was slacking off on his assignments...again. It was a bit of a bad habit of his. He wasn't busy typing up the interview he and Ralph had with Mr. Knox about the new soap opera television station that he had decided to create upon Lady Baden-Baden's request. Instead, Bert was skimming through the latest chapter of his fantasy novel he, Bentley, and Annie had come up with...

In a time that was somewhat long ago, in a place far, far away from where you ever imagined, Gardos the Magnificent was sitting in his old childhood friend Blodwyn's castle, which was located on the outskirts of the capital city of Maida-Vale. Gardos was gazing out the window of one of the castle's towers. Gardos was a well-renowned wizard/alchemist throughout the kingdom of Waterland, and many young aspiring magicians from around the land would come to visit the castle to learn the ropes from him. Today, Marcus, the teenaged son of the King and Queen, would be coming over to visit. He wasn't in line for the throne and had decided instead to become a wizard as he had been fascinated by magic. Marcus and Gardos had struck up quite a close bond...

As Gardos was lost in thought, Blodwyn came up the stairs into the tower.

"Everything alright, Gardos?" Blodwyn asked the wizard.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine. I'm just here waiting for Marcus to arrive from the royal palace. He should be here any minute, shouldn't he?"

"I think so," Blodwyn replied. "You and him have really stuck up a friendship, haven't you?"

"For certain," Gardos answered. "He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a young raccoon, before I took up magic."

"You used to be very clumsy when you started out," Blodwyn laughed.

"Yes, but look at me now!" Gardos heartily roared back in response. "Say, Blodwyn, didn't your father want you to grow up to be a knight in the Royal Army?"

"Oh yes..." Blodwyn nervously replied. "But...I couldn't do it. I didn't want to risk my life in battle! So I gave up on being a knight and became the wealthy grain merchant I am today. I'm proud of myself, but I wish my father wouldn't have disowned me..." he growled. "Why do you have to keep reminding me of my childhood?"

"No reason," Gardos chuckled.

At that moment, Alvara, Blodwyn's wife, came up the stairs with Marcus.

"Gardos, Marcus is here to see you," she cheerfully said.

"Gardos, long time no see!" Marcus replied as he embraced his mentor.

"Always a pleasure to have you drop by the castle, Marcus," Gardos smiled.

"I'm glad to be here. You know, my sister's birthday's tomorrow," Marcus replied.

"Ooh-Princess Luna's birthday party. Well, I can't wait until tomorrow to see her!" Gardos was quite ecstatic.

"That's only because you're trying to get to know her better-in that sense," Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Hey, just you watch. It won't be too much longer before I win her paw and then I'll be on my way to the throne!"

"But can a wizard really be the king of our nation?" Blodwyn remarked as Alvara slapped him.

"You never know, dear," Alvara reminded him. "People said we would never end up together, didn't they?"

"Hmm...point taken..." Blodwyn said as he rubbed his face where his wife had slapped him.

"Oh! Ah, Marcus, are you ready for your training today?"

"I think so," Marcus replied, not sounding entirely sure of himself. "I've been practicing for a while, but I'm still not entirely sure I'm that good..."

"Don't worry!" Gardos laughed. "I wasn't that good myself when I started out. But with time, you'll be almost as good as I am!"

"Maybe..." Blodwyn whispered.

"Okay, Gardos. What am I going to learn today?"

"Today, you're going to be learning one of my favorite spells..." Gardos snickered, barely able to keep the grin off his face as he led Marcus to his alchemy chamber.

"And that is?"

"I'm going to teach you how to turn lead," Gardos remarked as he picked a chunk of lead up off his bench, "into...peanut butter."

Marcus was confused. The name didn't ring a bell to him. "Peanut butter? What on earth is that?"

"Why, it's only the most precious treasure in this entire kingdom," Gardos smirked. Marcus still looked confused. "But not too many people know about it as I invented it myself."

"Oh."

"Well, here's the spell," Gardos said as he looked towards another chunk of lead, picking up his wand. "Alakazing, alakaza, alaker-BLAM!" With that, the chunk of lead was magically turned into a goopy brownish mass, evidently peanut butter.

"Huh..." Marcus said as he dipped his finger into the goop and ate it. "Not bad."

"Alright, now you try. You remembered to bring your wand, right?"

"Of course, I have it right here," Marcus proudly proclaimed as he produced his magic wand. He pointed his wand towards the other chunk of lead that Gardos had placed back on the bench. "Alakazing, alakaza, ala..."

But at that moment, Blodwyn entered the chamber. "Say, Gardos, have you seen my scale? I might need it soon for a trade down at the market."

Marcus jumped upon hearing the door open behind him. "Alaka-WHOOEY!" he shouted as he turned around in surprise and cast the spell at Blodwyn.

"What the-" Blodwyn groaned as he was magically transformed into...a wild donkey.

Gardos slapped himself in the face. "Oh dear..."

At that moment, Alvara entered the chamber and, much to her surprise, found her husband had become a donkey. "MARCUS! You should be careful! You just turned Blodwyn into a donkey! Why can't you be more careful?"

"Sorry..." Marcus replied as he gazed at his feet, feeling greatly embarrassed. "I guess I have a lot more to learn."

"HEE-HAW!" the Blodwyn donkey brayed as he went wild and started crashing through the alchemy chamber, kicking over benches and sending potions flying everywhere.

"Alaka-WHOOEY!" Gardos shouted as he quickly cast a spell on Blodwyn changing him back into his raccoon form, just as he started to eat the tapestry off the walls.

"Oh dear..." Blodwyn said, embarrassed. "I guess I _really_ made an ass out of myself."

"Wow," said a familiar voice, "Bert, that is a _really _bad joke."

Back in reality, Bert was surprised to turn around and find Ralph behind him, glaring at his document.

"Ah! I didn't know you were behind me."

"And seriously, Bert? Turning lead into _peanut butter_?" Ralph just shook his head in disbelief. "Are you _sure_ this is actually going to sell, Bert?"

"I'm positive! There is quite a market for fantasy like this, after all," Bert wryly grinned.

"Not for me...I've never been into fantasy like you have...I still can't believe you tricked me into going to see Uriah Sheep all those years ago. I think that music they made has really sunk into your brain," Ralph replied.

"You have to admit; that _was _quite a show..." Bert smiled, reminiscing back to his foregone teenaged years.

"They were not," Ralph growled. "Besides, what kind of name is Uriah Sheep? Sounds like a person's name. Why would a band name themselves after a person?"

"Beats me. So, what do you need me for, Ralph?" Bert changed the subject. "Let me guess; you're having problems with that computer _again_?"

"No, Bert, I think I finally got the hang of it-I _think_." Ralph's face turned glum. "No, it's about Melissa."

"Oh." Bert knew Ralph was feeling depressed seeing his wife so unhappy. "What about her?"

"I just don't get it Bert. I thought the advice column would really help her out. It looked like it was really helping her out; but now look at her. Over this past month, she's gone back and forth between being cheerful and being really depressed."

"Well, what can we do about that?" Bert curiously asked.

"I don't know. You know, she's been telling me she's having these strange dreams. But when I try to ask her what it is she's dreaming about, she won't tell me. She dodges the issue. Why won't she tell me what's wrong? How can I help her if she won't tell me what's wrong? I...I just don't know what I can do for Melissa..." Ralph sighed.

"Hmm..." Bert quickly thought. "Well, I don't think her job is the problem."

"Doesn't seem that way; she's doing a great job as always."

"You don't suppose...her problem could be _you_, could it?" Bert asked.

"Huh?" Ralph had never even thought of that. Maybe _he_ was the problem.

"I mean, it could be maybe...Melissa is bored of you?"

"_Oh no...Bert might actually be right..._" Ralph thought. It was certainly a possibility. Although Ralph had gained more confidence in himself over the years, deep down, he still had self-doubt issues; he often felt that Melissa was probably too good for him and he might be holding her back from a better life. He had always secretly feared that one day Melissa would wake up and realize she was too good for him and either outright leave him or have an affair behind his back. "_Maybe that day has come...maybe those dreams are trying to tell her to leave me..._" Ralph sadly thought to himself.

"No way, Bert!" Ralph hastily responded, sounding very unsure of himself.

"Well, I guess we're not going to know unless she decides to tell you what's wrong," Bert shrugged.

Ralph sat back down at his desk and went back to typing on his computer. But still, what Bert had suggested scared him.

"_I really hope Bert isn't onto something...I hope she'll open up to me soon..._" Ralph hopefully thought to himself.

* * *

><p>It was a Thursday afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Tomorrow would be an exciting day for some of the Forest's residents; as it would mark Sophia Sneer's baby shower. March would also bring other exciting things to the Forest; for one, spring. It meant the end of the cold months and bleak days for the citizens of Evergreen. But for some, no matter what the season, every day seemed bleak...<p>

Maxie Ringtail was busy in her bedroom, preparing to vacuum her humble domicile. Her daughter was once again away; Annie was off with Bentley helping Bert on that novel of his. "_It won't be too much longer before she's ready for college and out of the house altogether..._" Maxie sadly thought to herself. Annie was often the only company she had; once she left home, Maxie would truly be all alone...

Maxie sighed as she set to vacuum her bedroom. Spring cleaning was a couple of months away for some of the Forest's residents, but Maxie was already getting a head start. She had an off day from work today and figured she would spend today cleaning up the house; even though it wasn't particularly messy. Truthfully, though, she never really enjoyed housework. It was so drab, so dull, so..._boring_. Her life seemed to have absolutely no excitement to it; in many ways, she felt like she was a prisoner of her own home. "_All I ever do is cook, clean, and work. Couldn't something nice happen to me for once?_" she thought.

At that moment Maxie's thoughts were interrupted by the vacuum cleaner sucking in the bed skirt of her bed. "ARRGGHH!" she angrily growled, her frustration readily apparent. "Every damn time! It always sucks the bed skirt up. Why the hell do I have this damn thing!" She turned the vacuum cleaner off as she pulled the skirt out of the vacuum's hose. "Graah! I hate vacuuming! Is this really all my life is ever going to be? All because I had to make one dumb mistake when I was a girl?" She shook her head as she went back to vacuuming. "_One of these days, I'd like to open up the door and toss this damn thing out..._" she thought.

She was soon interrupted, however, by a knock on her front door. "Hold on there," she shouted as she turned the vacuum off again, "I'm coming!" In her haste to get to the front door, she didn't watch her step and wound up tripping over the vacuum cleaner's cord. "OOF!" she shouted as she hit her face on the carpet fairly hard. "It just figures..." she sighed, "_I hope it's Bert that's come to visit me..._" she hopefully thought to herself, trying to think of something positive. She always did love his visits...

Maxie dusted herself off as she opened the front door to find...not Bert, but rather, Melissa Raccoon greeting her.

"Hi, Maxie," Melissa lightly smiled.

"Oh. Hello there, Mel," Maxie replied. "Mel" was Maxie's informal nickname for Melissa that she often called her when they talked to one another. It was nice to see Melissa, but Maxie couldn't hide her disappointment. She had been hoping for Bert, but then she realized he was off with Bentley and Annie. He probably wouldn't come by today. "_Well, at least Mel's company is better than no company at all. After all, __she is a friend of mine, and I don't have very many friends..._" Maxie thought to herself.

Melissa noticed Maxie's face was rather badly bruised up. "You've had hard times lately, I see."

"I tripped over the vacuum cord," Maxie answered. "Clumsy of me, I know."

"Oh, well, do you mind if I come in?" Melissa asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not. You know, I don't get very many visitors."

"Well, I came here because I needed to talk about something," Melissa admitted.

"Why don't we have some tea and then we can have a talk?" Maxie asked.

"Sounds fine to me," Melissa said as she came into the house and sat down at Maxie's dining room table.

Maxie was brewing up some hot tea for herself and Melissa. "You know what's funny, Mel? Somebody came by the Blue Spruce Cafe the other night and asked if I was your big sister," she chuckled.

"They thought you were my sister?" Melissa had to laugh. "I don't even think we look that much alike." Melissa didn't really see any real resemblance between her and Maxie. Maxie was taller than her, not as tall as Lisa but just slightly taller than Bert. Her hair was longer than Melissa's and her eyes were green, as opposed to Melissa's blues. Plus Maxie had the same droopy eyes that her own husband had...

"Maybe in the face, a little bit, but outside of that..." Maxie noted.

"So anyways, what's new with you, Maxie?"

"Well, my second cousin Don died a couple of weeks ago. It was a drug overdose."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Melissa sympathetically replied.

"Well, I'm not," Maxie growled. "Don was _always_ a conniving jackass. I'm not going to miss him!"

"Oh, I remember now, he was the one in the band with Bert..." Melissa remembered.

"_That_ was Bert?" Maxie was surprised. "_Wow. I_ _feel a little bad since he's dead, but I **really**_ _hate Don__..._" she thought.

"Yes, it was. Anything else?"

"You know me, Mel," Maxie sighed as she sat down across the table from Melissa. "My whole life is cooking, cleaning, and washing dishes. That's all I ever do. I wish something exciting could happen to me..." She quickly changed the subject. "So anyways, Mel, I've heard you've been very depressed lately. I heard from Bert that Ralph gave you a relationship advice column to write."

"You and Bert are really good friends, aren't you?" Melissa noted.

"Well, of course. I'm pretty grateful for any friends I do have; like you, Mel, for instance. You and Nicole are probably the only semi-close female friends I have..." she sighed heavily. "Most other women don't like me very much, especially the ones who know what I did when I was a teenager...I've been called just about every name in the book."

"Well, that's not very nice of them," Melissa answered.

"No it isn't," Maxie agreed. "But anyways, getting back to what I was saying, I did see that advice column you write. How do you feel about it?"

"Oh, it's nice, I actually quite like it. It's nice helping out people I don't know; I like to think I could make a difference in someone's life."

"Must be quite a feeling..." Maxie sighed. "If I may admit something, Mel, I actually wrote in to your advice column. I think I was one of the first ones you got."

"Ah, so _you_ must be 'Lonely Heart'," Melissa realized. "I thought that tone of writing sounded familiar..."

"Yes, that's me. I can't help it, Mel. I'm probably one of the loneliest people in this whole Forest. I've never known what it is like to be truly loved in my life, well, outside of my own daughter. But that's it. Not even my _parents_ loved me. When I got pregnant with Annie, my mother called me a filthy whore and my father called me a slut. They disowned me in a heartbeat, you know..."

"I know, you told me," Melissa said. "I don't think that was right of them."

"Maybe not but, it doesn't the change the facts. I've never had anyone love me outside of my own daughter...you don't know how lucky you are to have someone like Ralph, Mel. I wish _I_ had someone like that..." Maxie sadly answered.

"Well, maybe someday soon enough, you will," Melissa encouragingly replied. "You said you had your eyes on someone, didn't you?"

"I do, but I don't think it'll ever work out..." Maxie sighed again.

"Well, who is it?"

"I can't tell you that, but all I can say is this person is in love with someone a lot younger than me; someone he probably deserves. I don't think I deserve him..."

Melissa thought back to that letter. "_Friendly, charming, imaginative, can really make me laugh, in love with someone much younger than me..._" She quickly realized who Maxie surely had to have in mind. "You're in love with Bert, aren't you?"

Maxie immediately blushed. "Bert? No, no! Bert and I are just really good friends. He's not my type; I couldn't possibly love him!"

"You're not doing a very good job of denying it, Maxie..." Melissa chuckled.

"Alright, you got me," Maxie sighed, her cheeks reddening deeper out of embarrassment. "I do have a crush on Bert. I can't help it. He and I have really gotten to know one another really well. I actually really like that strange imagination he has. It...fascinates me, in a weird way. Yes, I know he's goofy, but it's a _sweet_ kind of goofy. I really like that about him. Plus, I do admit he's kind of handsome...oh dear, I'm rambling!"

"So _that's_ why you're helping Bert out with his novel," Melissa realized.

"Yes. I'm helping draw the characters for his novel. You know, I did want to illustrate children's books...once."

"So you told me," Melissa noted. "Maxie, how long has it been?"

"A couple of years, I think. I don't know, Mel; I'd really like to think maybe he could free me from my dreary life in this house. He would certainly add excitement to my life. And maybe I could help keep him out of trouble; since, you know, he gets into trouble pretty often..."

"Ralph would definitely agree with you there!" Melissa chuckled. "But you know, he's in love with Lisa."

"I'm well aware of that," Maxie said, her face taking on a sadder expression. "I don't blame him for it, either. I mean, look at her. She's gorgeous, and me? I'm average at best. She's athletic, and me? I probably couldn't last fifty meters in a 100 meter race. She has a lot more to offer Bert than I do. All I really have is...my heart."

"You don't need to be so hard on yourself, Maxie," Melissa said.

"But I can't help it. I know I can't possibly hope to compare to Lisa in his eyes. I'm not his type. She's an exciting young woman, and I'm...I'm just a boring middle-aged mother. How could he ever possibly love me?"

"_Wow. She has some really low self-esteem. Kind of reminds me of Ralph when he was younger..._" Melissa quickly thought. "_I can't help but wonder if she and Ralph are somehow long lost relatives__?_"

"Well, who knows? It's not impossible for love to find a way. Ralph didn't think he would ever get me either, but look where we are today!"

"Easy for you to say, Mel, I can't see it happening. I know Lisa doesn't like him like he likes her; I'm afraid he's going to get his heart broken. I couldn't stand to see him like that..." Maxie continued to lament.

"It sounds to me like you're jealous of her, Maxie..." Melissa blandly replied.

"Maybe, but I have nothing against her. She and I are neighbors, after all. She's not a bad person at all; I just don't like it how Bert shows her all that attention and she doesn't return his feelings. I wouldn't do that to him." She sighed again. "What am I ever going to do?"

"If you don't think you're ever going to get Bert; then most likely, you won't. Don't be _that_ hard on yourself, Maxie; you're not a bad person. Maybe you should be a little more confident in yourself?" Melissa tried to encourage her.

"That's the advice you gave me in your column, Melissa. I don't think it'll impress him at all," Maxie admitted, "I really want him to know how I feel, but...I can't ever tell him, because I know he will reject me. I'm afraid that he might not ever want to come visit me anymore if I told him. It's painful keeping my feelings to myself, but...I just can't do it!"

"Hmm..." Melissa hurriedly thought of something. "I think you should write a letter to Bert. Let him know how you feel."

"But he'll know it's from me!" Maxie gulped. "You want me to get my feelings hurt, Mel?"

"You don't have to sign it," Melissa said as she drank from her teacup, "you can leave it blank. You know, sort of a secret admirer thing?"

"Secret admirer? Sounds like something from high school," Maxie sighed. "What the hell, I'm desperate. But what if he thinks it's Lisa?"

"I'm sure he won't," Melissa smiled. "It'll at least let him know someone's thinking about him."

"I guess I'll try it..." Maxie sighed as she took a sip from her teacup. "Sorry to bother you with that, Mel, I've never told anybody about that before. Not even my own daughter. You'll promise you won't tell Bert, right?"

"You needn't worry; I promise."

Suddenly, Melissa remembered what she had wanted to talk to Maxie about. Maxie had gotten her so sidetracked talking about Bert that she had almost forgotten. "Maxie, I just remembered, I need to talk to you about something."

"Well, go for it, Mel. What do you have on your mind?"

"Maxie, that advice column Ralph got me to write is very nice, but...it hasn't cured my depression. If anything, I'm still feeling depressed. I thought it was helping me, but then Sophia told us she and Cedric were expecting a child. Speaking of which, you'll be coming to the baby shower tomorrow, right?" Melissa asked.

"Sure thing, Mel, I'll be there, even though I barely know Sophia. I think she and I have talked to each other maybe only once or twice. But I'll be there. I'll probably be bringing some of Annie's old toys from when she was a baby. But anyways, do go on."

"Alright," Melissa began again. "Ever since she told us she was going to have a baby, I've felt oddly depressed again. Then I started having these...really weird dreams."

"Really weird dreams, huh? What kind of dreams?" Maxie wondered.

"These odd dreams about...children. I keep having this dream about a child. They're fishing by the lakeside and whenever I try to talk to them, the kit runs off and I chase after them, but I can't catch them. All the while I keep growing older and older the whole time. Before I know it, I'm an elderly raccoon and the child runs away. Sometimes, it's a boy; sometimes, it's a girl. But no matter what, the child always looks familiar to me. It looks like...mine and Ralph's," Melissa finished.

"Interesting...What did Ralph have to say about this?"

"I sort of...haven't told him about these dreams. I didn't know what he would say; I don't think I need to trouble him anymore with my problems..." Melissa admitted.

"And you're the one running a relationship advice column," Maxie snickered. "You shouldn't be keeping secrets from your husband like that, Mel!"

"I know...I probably should talk to him about it...I just don't know what to say..."

"Well, you should tell him about it."

"I know...Maxie, there's one thing I don't understand. Ralph once told me our dreams have deeper hidden meanings and they are often trying to tell us something. But I don't know what this dream could mean. Do you have any idea?" Melissa wondered.

"Hmm..." Maxie mused. "When did these dreams start again?"

"Right after Sophia told us she was expecting," Melissa answered.

"Well, Mel, I know exactly what your dream is trying to tell you," Maxie said, starting to smile.

"Really? What is it?"

"Mel, I think you are jealous of Sophia because you want to have children of your own," Maxie firmly replied. "It's funny, Bert told me once that you and Ralph did not want any children; that you were happy as you were."

"Where did Bert get that idea? I never said I didn't want children!" Melissa remarked, surprised to hear that. "But...are you sure, Maxie? I can't be jealous of Sophia. She's one of my closer friends! I thought I was, but it doesn't seem to make sense to me that I would..."

"But it makes perfect sense," Maxie said, still slyly smiling. "I know the Evergreen Forest has been having a bit of a baby boom this year. There's been a record number of children born so far this year, or at least that's what the _Standard_ told me. I think it's completely natural for you to start thinking about having kids."

"I can't even remember if Ralph and I have actually discussed whether or not we should have children..." Melissa admitted.

"Well, you know what I think?" Maxie asked.

"What do you think?"

"I think you and Ralph should definitely go for it. Give it a try. You know, you're thirty-five now, Mel. There still is a little time for you to possibly have a kid, but not a whole lot. It won't be too many more years before you are too old to have any. But, let me tell you right now; being pregnant is not a lot of fun. You'll have the most terrible cravings for foods you don't even like. Imagine me when my parents cast me out; I had cravings for all these foods and I didn't have any money to pay for them. You'll have the not-so-very-fun experience of having the baby constantly kicking you and not being able to stop it. Plus, giving birth itself is...well, to me, it felt like someone was trying to yank my bottom jaw all the way over the back of my head. It's the most painful thing you'll probably ever experience in life. Imagine how I felt; I didn't get any medicine to dull the pain!"

Melissa felt nervous. "That doesn't sound very fun at all..."

"No, it's not, but the actual experience of being a mother? I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. There are lots of very rewarding moments. Seeing your baby for the first time. Your child's first steps. Your child's first word. Every bedtime story you read to them. Your child's first day of school. Every time your child says they love you. Little moments like that make the pain of childbirth all worthwhile; though I still wish I'd been smarter in school so I didn't have to experience it _that_ early in life." Maxie cleared her throat. "What I'm trying to say is, Mel, there are a lot of rewards to being a mother. And I think you and Ralph should definitely give it a chance. Maybe if you try now, by this time next year your home might be blessed with the pitter patter of little feet," Maxie smiled.

Melissa was really thinking to herself. What Maxie said _did_ make sense. A newfound desire to have children would certainly explain the depression she had felt over the past few months, and those dreams as well. Plus, Maxie _did_ make it sound like it was very worthwhile. But could she actually see herself having children?

"I'll have to think about it," Melissa said as she finished her tea and stood up from her chair. "I think I should go back to the Raccoondominium now before Ralph and Bert wonder where I've gone off to, I was only supposed to be here for a minute or two. See you at the baby shower, Maxie," she waved as she left.

"See you there, Mel. Do think about what I said," Maxie replied. "_Now..._" she thought to herself. "_I probably should start thinking about what I can possibly write to Bert..._"

* * *

><p>Later that night, Melissa was lying in bed back home at the Raccoondominium. Ralph was cuddled up against her, holding her a little more tightly than usual. Melissa couldn't help but think about what Maxie had told her.<p>

She had done a lot of thinking about that the rest of the day. It _did_ make perfect sense. "_I think those dreams are trying to tell me that if I wait much longer, Ralph and I won't have children,_" she thought. That had to be why that child kept running away and why she would grow older the more she chased after it. But Melissa still hadn't been sure if she could imagine herself having children...

Melissa imagined what life would be like if she were to become a mother. She imagined holding her newborn baby shortly after giving birth, and the smile on Ralph's face upon seeing his child for the first time. Feeding her child its baby food as it threw some of it into Ralph's face. Watching her child slowly, but steadily take its first steps. Her child saying its first word and giggling all the while. Her reading a bedtime story to her child as it asked her to read it another one. Her and Ralph showing their child where Mommy and Daddy worked. Holding her child's tiny paw as it waited for the bus for its first day of school. Her and Ralph having fun playing baseball with their child. The three of them smiling as they posed for a family portrait together (with Bert cutting in at the last second, of course).

Melissa fondly smiled thinking of her possible future. "_I must admit,_" she thought, "_I would really __love to be a mother._" Yes, she had to admit, the idea of actually going through pregnancy did scare her a little bit. The thought of having a new life growing inside her for almost nine months didn't seem that attractive or fun of an idea. But she realized that Ralph was here for her. Melissa wouldn't have to go through the experience of being pregnant alone like Maxie had; Ralph would surely help care for her and make things easier for her. Plus, if it would ultimately lead to those thoughts she had just had, she felt it would be more than worthwhile to go through those nine months. Melissa had never gotten to know her own mother as she had died while she was just a baby herself; she felt that perhaps maybe she could be the mother she never got to have. She knew, right then and there, she wanted to have children. Maxie _was_ right. That was why she had been depressed the whole past few months. It seemed that everyone else she knew either already had children or were expecting to have them...except her and Ralph. "_Maybe if we do try now, we just might be expecting ourselves soon enough..._" she thought.

She thought of what her friends and family would think if she were to have children. Her father, Mike, would no doubt be delighted. Mike and Melissa were the very last two members of the Mulligan family left alive and since she had married Ralph and opted to take his last name to show her devotion to him, the Mulligan family name would not live on. But that didn't mean that the family blood couldn't survive. If she and Ralph were to have children, their child would be half-Mulligan. Mike would no doubt be pleased to see at least his family's blood would survive. Plus she knew her father had always loved children; he was always helping out at the orphanage. He would be delighted to have a grandchild.

Bert and Bentley would be happy as well. Bert was already excited knowing Cedric was going to have a kid soon that he could play with; she could only imagine how he would react upon finding out that there would be a new friend coming to the Raccoodominium soon. And no doubt, Bert would get Bentley excited by telling him that he might have his very own little buddy, his own cousin. Lisa would surely be excited to have a new cousin as well. George and Nicole would surely love becoming an uncle and an aunt. And Cedric and Sophia, no doubt, would be glad to hear their child would have a new playmate. It seemed everybody would likely be very happy if she and Ralph were to have a child.

Except, perhaps, for one person..."_What does Ralph think about children?_" Melissa thought. She remembered that she and Ralph had only ever really discussed having children shortly before they had been wed; Ralph had felt they were a little young at the time and thought they should perhaps wait a while until they had solidified their careers. But...a while had long since came and went. They had been married almost twelve years so far. And not once since then had she ever heard her husband talk about having kids. "_Is it possible Ralph doesn't want any?_" That was certainly not impossible. She knew not everyone out there really fancied becoming a parent; perhaps Ralph was one of them? Maybe he was perfectly happy with the way everything was; maybe he was comfortable with the idea of not being a father. She didn't know, but she knew she had to discuss this with him soon enough. _Very _soon.

"_I'll tell him tomorrow night__,_" she made up her mind, "_after the baby shower. I only wonder what Ralph will say..._"

**END CHAPTER FOUR**

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE: **Well, that's chapter four. So finally, we move onto the main plot of the story! Melissa has decided she wants to have children after Maxie has helped lead her to realize the actual reason behind her depression. Really setting myself up for the upcoming drama here...The dream she had at the beginning of the chapter was supposed to be symbolic (you probably realized that, but what the hey. Might as well say it).

See, I told you Bert's novel was going to be atrocious. As I said, that is completely deliberate on my part. I wanted to make something as bad and silly as I possibly can. If you think it's silly now, wait until I get to later chapters...Bert would definitely want to turn lead into peanut butter, that's for sure! (That's picking fun at turning lead into gold, one of the original goals of alchemy in the first place). For the characters in Bert's novel, Gardos is based on Bert, Marcus is based on Bentley, Blodwyn is based on Ralph, Alvara is based on Melissa, Princess Luna is based on Lisa (well, these all seemed pretty obvious, didn't they?), the King and Queen are based on George and Nicole, and the royal adviser who betrays them and kidnaps the Princess will be based upon Cyril Sneer (as should probably be expected). Watch, it'll get more and _more_ ridiculous in later chapters...

Again Uriah Sheep are a Raccoons version of the critically hated (so much so that one critic said of their first album that if they actually made it big she would commit suicide) 1970s rock band Uriah Heep, well known for the songs "Easy Livin'", "Stealin'", and somewhat lesser known for songs such as "Gypsy", "Salisbury", "Lady In Black", "Look At Yourself", "July Morning", and "The Magician's Birthday". They often had a severe fantasy element to their lyrics (I _should _hate the living daylights out of this band, but for some reason there is some kind of weird charm to their music that I can't ignore, I can't really explain this); I really feel pretty certain that if he were actually real Bert would almost certainly love this band. You can't tell me someone with an active imagination like him wouldn't be drawn to lyrics such as "_Grinning demons, smiling sideways, laughing in my face. Here within my troubled sleep is such a lonely place,_" and "_In the magic garden, some were singing, some_ _were dancing, as the midnight moon shone brightly overhead_." As for their name, the band was named after Uriah Heep, the antagonist from Charles Dickens' classic novel _David Copperfield_ (I never actually read that book, all I've read by Dickens are _Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, _and _A Tale Of Two Cities_). Their first album (1970) was called "_Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble_" as a tribute to the character, who constantly referred to himself as being "very 'umble". Odd...tribute?

Maxie having thoughts about throwing the vacuum cleaner out the front door...let me just say right now, my own mother has actually done this. When yours truly was a kid my mother once got so angry when the vacuum wouldn't work properly that she opened the front door and slung it off the porch onto the concrete below. The result was one very battered and broken vacuum cleaner.

Anyways, that's Chapter 4. Next chapter, Melissa approaches Ralph (who is now fearing he is Melissa's problem and is worrying she might leave him) with the idea of having children, and you'll see his reaction. Also, you'll get to see Lisa next chapter...keep those eyes open!


	5. Chapter 5: Ralph's Difficult Decision

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, now as of Chapter 4, we're really moving somewhere with this story. We're about a third of the way through this story, and we're heading into the emotional second third (heh, second third sounds funny...) Previously, Melissa had felt empty and as though there was something missing with her life. She felt frustrated not knowing what was missing, getting really down upon herself as she tried to figure out what was wrong. For a brief while, she thought her career might be the problem. But after Cedric and Sophia announced that they were going to have a child, Melissa began to feel depressed again, and she also began to have strange dreams about children that constantly tormented her. After a talk with Maxie Ringtail, Melissa realized what is missing in her life: children. In this chapter, Melissa, strongly desiring to have a baby of her own, decides to tell Ralph and ask him whether or not he wants to have children, leading to a doubtful Ralph having to make the hardest choice of his entire life: whether or not he and Melissa should try to have a child. Get ready for the _really_ emotional part of this story...

**CHAPTER FIVE: Ralph's Difficult Decision**

It was Friday night in the Evergreen Forest, and that meant a special occasion for some of the Forest's residents. Tonight, Ralph and Melissa Raccoon were holding a baby shower for Cedric and Sophia Sneer. The wealthy couple were expecting their first child and this was a way for their friends to show their support for them.

It had been quite a gathering. Everyone had already given the expecting couple their presents and now everyone was basically gathered in groups chatting with one another. Everyone seemed to be having a good time; except for Melissa...Melissa was sitting on the couch, in front of the television. But she wasn't really paying any attention to what was on TV at the moment. She was glancing around the Raccoondominium, observing what all her friends were doing...

Bentley and Annie were sitting in a corner of the living room, fiddling about with Bentley's laptop. Melissa figured Bentley was probably bored being here. This probably wasn't something he had a whole lot of interest in to begin with. Annie was probably just trying to humor him, she figured...

Melissa then took a glance over at what was going on in the kitchen. George, Ralph, and Bert were gathered at the kitchen table talking to Cedric. From what she could make out, they were sharing old stories...and George was apparently trying to scare Cedric by telling him horror stories from when Nicole had been pregnant with their children. She could overhear George telling Cedric that Sophia would probably eat him right out of Sneer Mansion and that he would never have a night of peace and quiet for the next twenty years. Cedric was apparently already feeling a little bit nervous about the impending arrival of the new baby and George was _certainly_ not helping. "_Sometimes, I wonder how George and Ralph could actually be brothers..._" It was true; George and her husband did not have a whole lot in common. Ralph had always been mild-mannered and passive, while George was close to the opposite; he was often very bold with his words and sometimes had a bad habit of not saying the right thing. But then again, Ralph had said George had taken more after their father. From what Melissa remembered of Arthur Raccoon, she could certainly see what he was talking about. She could hear Ralph howling with laughter over something. It seemed the four of them were drinking some type of alcohol. It wasn't very common for her husband to act like a typical male, but he _did_ have his moments... "_Men, sometimes..._" Melissa thought to herself, shaking her head. "_Sometimes I'll never understand them._"

Melissa could also see Sophia and Lisa having a conversation in the corner of the kitchen. She couldn't make out anything they were saying over the uproarious laughter of the guys. "_Lisa is probably asking Sophia how she's doing so far,_" Melissa thought. While Melissa and Sophia were good friends, Lisa was probably Sophia's closest current friend, even if they were almost ten years apart in age. It would be natural for Lisa to want to know how her friend was dealing with her pregnancy. Perhaps Lisa wanted to know in case someday she wanted to have children herself. "_I wonder what would happen if Bert got together with Lisa and the two of them had children__,_" Melissa randomly thought to herself. She knew Bert was determined to win Lisa's heart and he had even said that he felt one day she might bear his children, but when she tried to imagine it in her mind, she just couldn't see it happening. "_I think Bert is just wasting his time with her..._" Melissa thought. It seemed pretty obvious to her that Bert was almost certainly not going to get Lisa. If anything, Melissa thought Bert would probably do best with Maxie, as she now knew Maxie secretly had feelings for him. If Bert ever took an interest in her, she was sure to return his feelings. But she didn't know if Bert would ever overcome his longing for Lisa. "_That Bert. He can be so stubborn in his ways sometimes..._"

Speaking of Maxie, she was coming down the stairs right now from presumably using the bathroom. She walked towards the couch and spoke to Melissa. "Mel, I've had a nice time here tonight, but I've got to get going right about now. I found out earlier today I have to work early in the morning and I think I should get home to get some rest."

"No problem, Maxie," Melissa nodded, "it was nice having you here. You are still going to write that letter to Bert, aren't you?"

"I will," Maxie replied, "I'm just not sure what I should write to him. I want him to get the idea someone out there is thinking of him, but I don't want to come off sounding too desperate or else I might really scare him...I just don't know what to write..."

"Well, Maxie," Melissa quickly thought, "just write what your heart tells you to write. I'm sure you can't go wrong then."

"Alright..." Maxie nervously answered. "I just can't help but worry about what he might think..."

"Remember, he won't know it's you who wrote it, he won't get upset at you. You don't have to be so worried!"

"I just can't help but worry, Mel, it's in my nature. So, have you talked to Ralph yet?" Maxie asked.

"I haven't, but I was thinking about telling him tonight..." Melissa quietly responded.

"Do be sure to talk to him about it soon enough. Because you know, if you wait long enough, it might be too late..." Maxie forewarned her. With that, Maxie turned to Annie and called for her. "Annie, it's time for us to go. You can chat with Bentley some other time."

"Alright, Mom," Annie replied. As she got up to leave, she quickly spoke to Bentley. "My mother. I love her but sometimes she can be a _real_ bore."

"You're telling me," Bentley replied as he kissed his girlfriend goodbye. "See ya, Annie."

"Later, Bentley," she smiled as she and Maxie left.

Melissa went back into her thoughts. Just the other day, she and Maxie had a rather deep conversation. Melissa had been feeling down upon herself and had felt as if something was missing from her life, and had started to have strange dreams involving children that she just could not explain. Maxie had been pretty observant, however, and quickly deduced that Melissa wanted to have children. Melissa hadn't been so sure of that at first, but the more she had thought about it, the more she realized Maxie was right. And that was exactly why she was feeling so bummed out here at the baby shower. She couldn't really bring herself to feel excited for Sophia when she felt envious of her. In less than eight months, Sophia was due to become a mother. Melissa didn't have any clue what the feeling felt like, but she _dearly_ wanted to know. She knew at thirty-five years old, time was running out for her to have children. But there was still a little time. First, however, she would have to discuss things with Ralph. She didn't have any idea what Ralph thought about the subject of having kids. Melissa had planned to tell Ralph tonight after the baby shower, but now she was having second thoughts. She was worried that Ralph might not want children, and she was more than a little afraid of how he might react to her. She didn't want to upset him or frighten him. But she knew that if she wanted to have children, she simply _had_ to talk to him. Children did not just magically appear out of nowhere, after all. She needed to have her husband on the same page as her on this pressing matter. "_I just don't know how I'm going to be able to tell him, though..._" she sighed.

"Why zho glum, Melizza? Thez iz a happy occasion. Why are you feeling zho down on yourself?" a familiar French accent said from beside her.

Melissa took a glance to her right and saw Nicole had sat down on the couch beside her. She hadn't been there a few moments ago; where did she come from?

"Where did you come from, Nicole?" Melissa asked.

"I waz juzt outside enjoying the evening air," Nicole replied. Funny. Melissa must have been too lost in her thoughts to have heard Nicole coming in.

"Zho, anywayz, Melizza, what iz the matter with you? I would think you would be more happy for Zophia and Cedric," Nicole asked her. Over the past several years, Nicole had probably become Melissa's closest friend, even though she was more than a decade older than her. Nicole had seen a lot in her lifetime; she seemed to be pretty wise. In a way, Melissa felt Nicole was more like a big sister to her, a sister she had never gotten to have. Sometimes, Melissa did actually call her "sis", considering the two of them were in-laws. But right now, Melissa wasn't really in the mood for conversation.

"I don't know, Nicole. I'm just not feeling too well, I guess..." Melissa sighed.

"I know you have been deprezzed for quite a while, but you zhould not let zomething like that get you down."

"I can't help _but_ let it get me down. I just can't help it. I'm...I'm envious of Sophia," Melissa confessed. She hadn't discussed this with Nicole before, but she figured she may as well.

"Envious of Zophia? Why would that be?" Nicole wondered.

"Because she's going to have children and I'm not," Melissa admitted. "I wish it was me everyone was excited for..."

"Melizza, are you zaying...you want to have children, too?" Nicole realized.

"Yes, I do Nicole. I would really love to have children," Melissa answered.

"Why, I think that iz a wonderful idea, Melizza! I am zure you would make a wonderful mother," Nicole encouragingly replied.

"I'm sure I would; I've always liked children, you know."

"Of courze," Nicole nodded. "Zho, what did Ralph had to zay about thez? Are you two going to be parents zhoon enough?"

"I haven't talked to Ralph about it," Melissa sighed. "I'm actually scared to tell him about it. I don't know what he might say."

"You two have never discuzzed thez before?" Nicole wondered.

"Not really..." Melissa had to admit. "Well, we did talk about whether or not we should have kids before we got married. I remember that; we both decided we were a little too young at the time and we both wanted to focus on our careers first. I guess I was thinking back then that meant that in three or four years or so we would have children. But I guess Ralph and I got sidetracked and three or four years ended up becoming twelve. I'm afraid of what Ralph might say if I talk to him about it, but a part of me wonders if it might already be too late..."

"Well, I am zure it iz not too late for you two, Melizza. There ztill iz time for you and Ralph. Maybe, now iz the perfect time for you?"

"Maybe, I just don't know...And I just don't know how I'm going to tell Ralph. What if he says no?"

"I am zure he won't," Nicole smiled. "You never know. Perhapz he haz been thinking about it himzelf."

"You're right, but I just don't know. You know, not everyone out there wants to have kids...and I'm worried Ralph is one of those people," Melissa worried.

"You do not need to worry, Melizza. Juzt talk to Ralph about thez and I am zure he will underztand. It would be a zhame for you two to mizz out..."

"You're telling me. I'd hate to see myself being sixty years old and never having had any children," Melissa sighed.

"I am zure that won't happen. Az I zaid, juzt talk to him about it, don't be afraid. Zee what he haz to zay. You know, I would really love to have a beautiful little nephew or niece to look after. I can't have any more children of my own, I had my tubez tied yearz ago. Even if I didn't, I will be fifty next year. I am too old to have another child. But let me juzt zay, Melizza, the experience of being a mother...iz really quite zomething. You will do wonderfully. And I am zure Ralph will make a fine father, too," Nicole encouraged her.

"I know he would. Well, if you believe in me, Nicole, I suppose I'll tell him tonight..." Melissa lightly smiled.

"Good for you, Melizza! If you two need babyzitting, I would be happy to help you two out," Nicole kindly offered.

"That would be appreciated," Melissa smiled.

Melissa felt more confident in herself. She knew Nicole and Maxie were both encouraging towards her. She felt certain she could tell Ralph tonight. Even if she was a little nervous of how he might respond...

* * *

><p>It was later that night at the Raccoondominium. The baby shower had wrapped up and all of the guests had gone home. Melissa was already ready for bed, lying back under the quilts. She was just waiting for her husband to get out of the bathroom to come join her. She could hear him brushing his teeth...<p>

She was getting a bit anxious. She was seeing that child from the dreams she had mocking her once again in her head. Melissa's desire had grown extremely strong in a very short time. She couldn't wait any longer to have children; she wanted to have them as soon as she possibly could. She knew she needed to tell Ralph now, or she might very well never have the chance...

"_Okay, Melissa,_" Melissa thought to herself, trying to encourage herself. "_You can do this__. It's not that hard...just tell him._"

At that moment, Ralph came in the bedroom from the bathroom across the hall. Ralph had some fun with his brother and his friends tonight and had gotten a little bit tipsy tonight. Unlike his recently deceased father, he didn't have a bottomless appetite for alcohol. Ralph was more of a responsible drinker; he was still in control of his senses.

Ralph climbed into bed and snuggled up next to his wife. "So, Melissa, that was quite a time we had tonight, wasn't it?"

Melissa sighed. "I suppose so..." She hadn't had any fun tonight at all.

"You didn't have a very good time, though, did you?" Ralph sympathetically replied.

"No, not really..." Melissa answered. "_Alright, Melissa,_" she thought to herself. "_It's time to tell_ _Ralph._" Melissa cleared her throat. "Ralph, that reminds me. I really need to talk to you about something."

"Talk to me about what? Feel free to tell me," Ralph smiled.

"I know I've been having some really hard times lately," Melissa began, "and I haven't been as open with you this past month as I probably should have been. I've done a lot of thinking about this, sweetie, and I think I know what's wrong."

"_Ah, what a relief!_" Ralph thought to himself. "_She's finally opening up to me. I knew she would!_" But then, Ralph suddenly became less excited. "_What if she's about to tell me she wants to leave me?_" Ever since Bert had suggested that idea, Ralph couldn't help but wonder if Bert was right. He was afraid Melissa didn't want to talk to him about her problems because she was about to leave him and she didn't want him to know about it. "_I hope that's not what she's going to tell me..._" Ralph thought as he tried to put that out of his head. "So, what do you think your problem is?"

"It's not my career, Ralph. Don't get me wrong, I love the advice column and I'll continue to write it, because I actually like it, but...I think my job was fine the way it was," Melissa admitted.

"I think so too. This advice column really doesn't seemed to have helped you out very much," Ralph agreed. He was still afraid that his wife was possibly about to tell him that she was through with him. "But what's your problem, then?"

"Ralph..." Melissa sighed. "I'm getting older. I'm thirty-five years old and I'm only going to get even older still. It won't be much longer before I'm forty years old, or 'over the hill' as some people call it. You and I will never be young again."

Ralph was surprised. "_She thinks she's getting old?_" He certainly hadn't been expecting that one. But it was at least a relief he wasn't her problem after all. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad for her. "Melissa," he said, trying to cheer her up, "you're not old! If anything, you're a young thirty-five. You're still just as beautiful as you were the day I first met you; maybe even more so," Ralph smiled as he leaned in and gave Melissa a quick kiss on her cheek. "Sometimes, I can still hardly believe I married such a wonderful woman. I might be the luckiest person alive," he chuckled. "Seriously, though, you are not old, honey. You're still young at heart; not to mention you still look great. If you asked me how old you looked, I'd say you don't look a day over twenty-five," Ralph winked at her.

"_Of course__,_" Melissa thought to herself. "_Ralph has always thought I was the mos__t beautiful woman __alive._" But of course, Ralph had figured that was her problem. "Ralph, thank you, but that's not my problem. I don't have a problem with getting old; I'm sure I will age gracefully. There is something missing from my life, Ralph, and I know what it is."

"Oh..." Ralph replied, realizing he had been a little hasty in assuming that her age was her problem. "So what is the problem?"

"Ralph, you know, in just about every week's issue of the _Standard_ so far this year we've had at least two or three couples announcing a new arrival," Melissa answered. "There really are a lot of children being born in the Forest this year."

"Well, I'll say," Ralph laughed. "The 'Evergreen Forest Baby Boom', as Bert called it."

Melissa chuckled lightly herself. "I remember him saying that. But it's every week, Ralph. Every week I keep seeing a couple happily announcing the birth of their first child. 'John and Mary Heathrow announce the birth of their first child, Dave,' for example. Every week, I see something like that."

Ralph was confused by what his wife was trying to tell him. "I'm not quite sure I get what you're saying, honey..."

"Ralph..." Melissa was feeling a lump forming in her throat. She was finding it harder to talk to him. But she knew she had to tell him. "Ralph...I'm curious. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we were to have children?"

Ralph scratched his chin. "Well, I'll admit I've thought about it a few times, but never too seriously. Why do you ask?" Suddenly, Ralph began to realize what Melissa was trying to say to him. "You...you're not saying you..." Ralph's eyes bulged.

"Ralph...I want to have children," Melissa managed to get herself to say. "_There. I finally told him!"_ she thought to herself.

Melissa was greeted by the unusual sight of her husband suddenly tumbling out of bed and bumping his head on the floor. "_Oh no..._" Melissa thought to herself. "_I knew it was a bad idea to tell him. I knew it would be too much for him..._"

Melissa climbed out of the bed and stood over her husband, who was rubbing the back of his head. "Ralph, sweetheart, are you alright?" she worriedly asked.

"I'm okay, though my head's a little sore," Ralph admitted. "Sorry about that, Melissa. I just thought I heard you say you wanted to have children."

"I did," Melissa lightly smiled. "I would really love to have children, Ralph. I've seen how happy everyone is for Sophia. Look at how excited she was when she told us she was going to have a baby. I've also heard from Nicole and Maxie about the joys of being a mother, and...I want to know what that feels like. I think parenthood would be a wonderful experience for the both of us."

Ralph felt nervous. He didn't think this particular moment was a good time to discuss this subject. "Melissa..." Ralph nervously coughed. "I don't think this is a very good time to talk about this. How about...how about we discuss this in the morning?"

"Over coffee?" Melissa had to agree with her husband. Perhaps telling him right before he wanted to go to bed was not the best idea. Maybe she should have waited until the morning. "That's fine, Ralph."

"Very well, then," Ralph said as the two of them climbed back into bed. "Good night, Melissa."

"Night, Ralph," she said as she kissed him. "Think about what I said, now."

Ralph knew that he would not be getting much sleep tonight. His wife had just let him know that she wanted kids. It was odd. She had not discussed this once since before the two of them had tied the knot. He had actually believed that Melissa didn't want children since she had never discussed them. But now, it all made sense. "_So **that's** why she was so depressed when Sophia announced she was expecting_. _And that's also why she was so depressed at the baby shower..._" He couldn't believe he hadn't been able to make the connection. Normally, he would have figured it out. "_Why didn't I think of that earlier?"_

But truthfully, Ralph had to admit he was a bit afraid of the idea of having children. He _had_ thought about it before, but in his mind, he couldn't see any reasonable way that it could ever properly work out. Both he and Melissa were career people. They both had full-time jobs and worked five days a week. How would they ever be able to fit in time for a baby? Ralph just didn't know how that could work. He didn't think he could afford to take the time out of work to take care of a pregnant Melissa or a crying baby raccoon. He was also a little unnerved by the idea of his wife actually being pregnant. He had heard all the stories from his big brother George. If Melissa actually _did _get pregnant, she would constantly have cravings for all types of foods and Ralph wasn't sure he would be able to keep up with the amount of food she might want to eat. He knew she would be moody and possibly yell at him from time to time. To top it all off, Ralph wasn't sure he could handle the thought of her giving birth, as he was a bit squeamish...Plus, Ralph didn't really see himself as a good candidate for a father in the first place. It all had to deal with his self-confidence issues...

Ralph just glared up at the ceiling as he started to drift off into sleep. He was dreading having to talk to Melissa in the morning...

* * *

><p>It was a nice sunny afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Ralph was sitting back on the couch in the Raccoondominium, reading the latest issue of the <em>Evergreen Standard<em>. "I did a fine job on this issue," Ralph smiled to himself. "Bert and I helped uncover the mystery of the Night Prowler. That fiend has been locked up in prison thanks to us," he grinned.

Ralph turned his gaze towards the window. Maybe it would be a nice day to go outside and stretch his legs a little bit. Ralph was never athletic like his wife somewhat was, as he knew Melissa liked to exercise to help keep in shape. But it would be nice to take a walk every now and then. He was always up for a nice woodland walk with Melissa. Or maybe they could go for a bike ride together, that was always nice...

Speaking of Melissa, where was she? It seemed odd she wasn't here in the living room with him. "_Hmm...I wonder where she could be..." _Ralph thought to himself as he turned back to his paper.

Suddenly, much to his alarm, Ralph heard Melissa letting out a very loud scream from inside the kitchen. It sounded as if she was in serious trouble or pain. Ralph instantly became terrified. "Oh no! What could be wrong with her?"

"Ralph! I need your help! Please, Ralph, come here!" he heard her frantically crying out for him.

Ralph dashed off the couch and raced into the kitchen to aid his wife. He knew he had to help her. But what he saw made him jump...

Melissa was a _lot_ larger than he remembered her being. It was rather blatantly obvious she was heavily pregnant and probably not too far away from giving birth. That was odd. He didn't remember her being pregnant...how did she suddenly become like this? No baby developed that fast. But he could see a look of great pain in her eyes.

"Ralph, thank goodness! Ralph...I think I'm going into labor!" she screamed. "The baby's almost here! Ralph...help!" she cried as she fell to her knees groaning and crying in pain.

Ralph immediately panicked. He didn't know what to do to help Melissa out through this situation. What was he to do? He frantically raced around his wife. "Melissa...what do I do? What do I do?" Ralph said in a very jittery voice.

"Ralph...call the hospital! Call the emergency services...I need to get to the hospital!" she screamed at him. "I don't want our baby to be born here in the kitchen! Get the phone...please!" she cried out again.

Ralph panicked, hurriedly looking for the phone. But in the middle of his panic attack, he couldn't find it anywhere. He needed to help Melissa, but he was doing a terrible job at it...

"Ralph...hurry!" she cried out again. "I can feel the baby coming...HELP!"

Ralph managed to find the phone, but couldn't remember the right number to dial. What was he to do?

"RALPH!" Melissa screamed at the top of her lungs. "RALPH, HELP ME...AIEEEEE!" she loudly groaned.

Ralph could hear the crying of a newborn...

Ralph awoke with a start. What a strange dream he had just had. "_What the hell was that all about__?_" he couldn't help but wonder to himself. It had been a long time since Ralph had odd dreams like that. Melissa giving birth in the kitchen? That was quite a bizarre one. Why would he have such a dream? Why on earth would he dream about Melissa giving birth?

Then it hit him. He remembered what his wife had told him before they had gone to bed. She told him she wanted to have children. That had been what was wrong with her all along and it had never hit him. But he didn't think that the two of them could really have children. He certainly couldn't see himself as a father...

Ralph noticed through the window that the morning light had broken through. He figured he'd go downstairs and fix some coffee for himself. After a dream like that, he knew he would certainly not be going back to sleep.

Ralph climbed out of bed, as he heard his wife softly murmur in her sleep. "Mmm...Ralph, don't go..."

Ralph headed into the kitchen, placed some toast into the toaster for breakfast, and brewed up the coffee pot. No sooner had he sat down at the kitchen table then he heard Melissa coming down the stairs herself. She must have not been fully asleep.

"Good morning, Ralph," she smiled as she walked into the kitchen and kissed her husband.

"Mornin', honey," Ralph nervously said. "You're up awfully early."

"I couldn't really get much sleep last night," Melissa admitted. "I was a bit lost in thought..."

Ralph knew she was about to discuss children with him...but he could always hope perhaps she had forgotten about it. "Have anything on your mind?"

"I sure do," Melissa smiled. "You didn't think I'd forget, did you?"

"_Damn. I should have known she would remember..._" Ralph sighed. "No, I didn't. Last night you told me you wanted to be a mother, I remember."

"I did," Melissa smiled. "Think about it Ralph," she said as she sat down at the chair that was next to him, taking a sip from her cup of coffee. "Don't you think it would be wonderful if we did have children? It would be an exciting new chapter in our lives."

"Well, I think I should just say, thanks to you telling me that last night, I had a dream where you had a baby right here in the kitchen," Ralph groaned, still thinking about that dream.

"I did...?" Melissa remarked. That hadn't sounded like much of a pleasant dream to her at all. "_I'm really thinking it wasn't a smart idea to tell him that right before we went to_ _bed..._" she thought. "Oh my. Sorry about that, Ralph; I think I should have waited until now to tell you about that. Say, in your dream, did you help me out?"

"No, I couldn't. I had a panic attack and couldn't help at all. I couldn't remember the number for the emergency services at all. I was terrified," Ralph replied.

"Well, Ralph, I'm sure it wouldn't turn out like that, I'm sure we could get to Evergreen Hospital in time. Babies aren't born _that_ fast..." she reassured him.

"I've heard about something like that happening to some people..." Ralph muttered. "Honey, are you really sure you want to have children?" he asked. He wasn't sure this was a very good idea...

"Yes, I am, Ralph," she firmly replied. "My biological clock is ticking. There's still a little bit of time for us to become parents, but it won't be a very long time at all. Before you know it, I'll be too old and then I'll never get to know what it's like to have children. I _really_ do want to know what that's like..."

"How did you come to realize that children were what was missing from your life?" Ralph curiously asked her.

"You remember those dreams I was having, right?"

"Yes, and you wouldn't tell me about them. I was worried because you wouldn't tell me what was wrong," Ralph answered her question.

"In my dreams I was chasing after a child; but I couldn't keep up with it. It always kept running away from me and before I knew it I'd become an elderly woman, as the child ran away. There was something so odd about the child; sometimes it was a boy and sometimes it was a girl, but it always looked strangely familiar...it was _our_ child, Ralph. I had a talk with Maxie Ringtail the other day..."

"I remember, you went over to visit her for a rather long time. You were gone almost an hour," Ralph interrupted her. He was still taking this all in. Melissa was having weird dreams about children...he wasn't sure what to say about that.

"Right, and she said that it seemed pretty obvious I wanted to have children. It makes perfect sense to me, Ralph. Why else would I be feeling something's missing from my life? I have most everything else many other women in this world only dream of; I have a wonderful husband and a great career, but...I don't have any children. And I would really like the chance to raise one. But I need to know what you think first before we should go any further with this. Ralph...what do you think?" Melissa hopefully asked.

Ralph sighed. "_So that's what she was dreaming about_," he thought to himself. "_I don't blame her for not wanting to tell me._" He could tell she was very enthusiastic about them becoming parents. But he couldn't say he shared her enthusiasm at all. He didn't like the thought of how she would react to what he was about to say. "Melissa...I hate to burst your bubble...but...I don't think having children is that great of an idea. I'm really sorry."

Melissa looked confused. "Why would you say that?" But then again, she knew Ralph was probably not too thrilled with the idea considering he fell out of bed when she told him and opted to wait until now to actually talk to her about it. That response was not too unexpected.

"Because...I don't see any way we can make it work. Look at us. We both have full-time jobs. I run the _Standard_ and you are the photographer. If you were pregnant, then who would take the pictures?" Ralph asked.

"Ralph, I'll still be able to get the pictures! You'd only have to worry about that when I'm far enough along, and by then I'm sure we'd figure something out..." Melissa tried to reassure her husband.

"But that's just it, Melissa. You'll have to take time out of work to have the baby. And then more to take care of the little one. You will need someone to help care for you during that time period; that someone would have to be me. And I'm sure we'd both have to look after our kid together."

"Of course, Ralph," she smiled. "You would help me out, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would, but that's the problem. Who will look after the _Standard _with us out of action?" Ralph worried.

"Bert could do it-" Melissa began, but Ralph quickly interrupted her.

"Don't suggest Bert, honey," Ralph moaned. "It's not that I have anything against him, he's my oldest friend, but Bert slacks off enough with his work as is. To put him in charge could turn out to be a spectacular disaster, you know."

"I'm sure things could work out. You should ask him about this. Besides, Nicole offered to help babysit any children we might have."

"You talked to her about this?" Ralph exclaimed.

"Yes, I did," Melissa nodded. "Her and Maxie both. They both thought it was a good idea for us to have children."

"I just don't know, Melissa. I just don't know...being a parent is such a huge responsibility, and we already have a lot of responsibilities. I don't think we can give them up for a baby," Ralph shook his head.

"Ralph...are you...scared?" Melissa randomly asked, feeling she had an idea why Ralph didn't seem to be so excited about this.

"Yes...I am. This would be a life-changing experience for the both of us," Ralph nodded. "And I'm not sure I'm prepared to handle that. A child will take a lot of time, money, and energy from the both of us...and I'm not sure we can handle it. Plus," he confessed, "I admit, I'm not too excited about the idea of you carrying a child around for nine months..."

"Well, Ralph, I'll admit that I'm not all that thrilled imagining myself having a baby raccoon developing inside of me, either. It certainly doesn't sound like a very fun experience, what with such things as food cravings, mood swings, weight gain, and the little one kicking me from the inside," Melissa replied.

"I couldn't imagine it being fun, either. That's one thing you and I can agree on on this subject," Ralph mildly chuckled. "I don't know, I'm just...I'm just not so thrilled with this whole idea in the first place..."

"But, Ralph..." Melissa said, her voice taking a more upbeat tone as she reached across and grabbed Ralph's paw, "I've thought about it, and if it means we'll get the opportunity to be parents, then I'm willing to go through nine months of having a child growing in here," she remarked as she patted her stomach. "And all the side-effects as well. I am willing to put myself through all of that because I believe it will be well worth the sacrifice. We can go through with this together; I'm sure it won't turn out that bad. You know, getting married was a life-changing experience, too, but we managed to make it work out because we worked together at it! I'm sure we could make this work out as well if we work at it together and get the right help along the way. You and I are a team, after all; and I think we can make anything work as long as we do it together. You won't know how it'll turn out unless you give it a chance..."

"I can't help it," Ralph repeated himself, "I just can't help but be more than a little scared thinking about all this..."

"Ralph, it's nothing to be afraid of," Melissa said in a cheerful voice, hoping to alleviate Ralph's nervousness in this situation. "Maxie and Nicole said it is a wonderful experience being a parent. A child is nothing to fear; it's a tiny miracle created by our love. Our very own little miracle for us to love, care for, and raise-together," she fondly smiled.

"I wish I could be as enthusiastic about this as you," Ralph heavily sighed. Melissa usually was a cheerful woman, but he had never in all his life heard her sound so excited about something as she was right now. But there was something else he was withholding from her, something that _really_ made him feel unsure about the whole idea of bringing a child into the world... "Which reminds me...Melissa...there's another reason I'm not so sure about all this..." he lowly stated.

"What is it, sweetie?" Melissa asked. She wondered what he was about to tell her.

"Melissa, like I said last night, I have thought about having children before, but I've never seriously considered it because..." He had trouble saying it himself. "Because...because...it's because I don't think I would make a very good father at all. Honestly, I don't think I'm cut out for it..." he heavily sighed.

Melissa felt sad for Ralph. She knew Ralph had always been worried she might leave him; he always did have self-doubt issues. It probably all had to do with his crummy childhood where it seemed nothing could ever go right for him. She should have figured he would doubt his ability to be a parent as well... "Ralph, what are you saying?" Melissa said. "Why would you think you would make a bad father? You were a good boyfriend to me for two years, and for the past twelve years you have been a great husband. Remember that card I made you for your birthday last year? I addressed it to the 'world's greatest husband'," she chuckled. "I really meant that, too."

"'World's greatest husband' is really pushing it; though I do admit, that did really make me smile," Ralph replied, "To be honest, I've never even thought I was that great of a husband in the first place. I know I try my hardest for you, but at best I'm probably only so-so..."

"But you _have_ been a good husband, Ralph. You've shown me more love and respect than any other man has ever shown me in my life-outside of my father, of course," she lightly smiled. "I know you would make a great father. You would show our child the same love and respect you've shown me as your wife. I don't understand why you would think you wouldn't make a good father."

"Melissa...do you remember the first time we looked after Bentley?" Ralph hesitantly asked.

"Of course I do," Melissa nodded. "That wasn't too long after we got married, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. It was a rather...difficult experience. I tried to get Bentley to play with me and have fun. But he didn't listen to me at all. All he ever did was sit in front of his computer when I tried to get his attention. If anything, he opened up more to you than he did to me. It was really disheartening because he used to really like me when he was a tyke. I remember playing with him when I visited George and Nicole back when they lived in Ottawa. And do you know which adult he eventually really opened up to? Not me. Bert. He opened up to Bert. Look at them; they have a really close bond. I wish that had been me he looked up to, but he looked up to Bert. It was then I realized I would never make a good father. Any children we might have would probably see Bert as their father instead of me. I'd just be the boring guy..." Ralph felt better now that he had gotten that off his chest.

Melissa placed her arm around her husband, trying to cheer him up. "Ralph, that was just one experience with a child. We were young then, but we're older now. You have no idea how it might turn out. I doubt things would turn out like that again. Ralph...I really think you should give it a chance..." Melissa couldn't help but hide her own sadness, however, as her eyes began to water up. She was feeling disappointed Ralph was not as eager to have children as she was. And she felt really bad seeing that her husband truly though he would make a terrible parent.

Ralph could see the melancholy look in his wife's eyes. He hated to upset her, but he would rather be openly honest to her than lie to her and say he was excited at the prospect of becoming a parent. "I'm sorry, Melissa...I just don't think we should have children. If anything, I think it would be best if you just forgot about it," he sighed again.

"Ralph..." Melissa sighed as a few tears started to build up, "I know it would be a difficult new experience for us..." she began, "and I know you are not very excited about the idea. I can't understand why you think you would make a bad parent, but that's what you think, not me. But suppose you _do_ want children one day. What if by then it's too late? We don't know how much longer I might have left...and I would really not want to end up like your Aunt Gertie: an old woman without any children."

"Aunt Gertie doesn't seem to mind the fact she never had kids," Ralph firmly replied. "She still seems to be enjoying her daredevil lifestyle last I heard from her."

"But I'm sure if you asked her she would say she wished she did have children..."

"That's partially because she never found the right man for her," Ralph interjected.

"Ralph...if you really don't want to have children, I can't make you want them. It wouldn't be right of me to force you into this. But Ralph, I'll just say, I think you should _really_ think about this," Melissa replied, putting a lot of emphasis on the word 'really'. "As I said, suppose you do want children someday, but it's too late for the two of us. I've seen a few older couples without any children, and I don't want that to happen to us. I think it's a little sad you're...you're not even giving this a fair chance. Just...think about this, will you?" she asked him as she wiped her eyes. "Do you promise me you'll think about it, Ralph?"

Ralph sighed. He figured she was probably right; he probably needed more time to properly think this over. "Alright, Melissa. I'll at least seriously think about this. When I've made up my mind on this matter, I'll be sure to let you know."

"I'll be waiting for then," Melissa said as she got up from the table. She was disappointed Ralph wasn't on the same page as her on the issue of having children, but she felt hopeful that maybe, if he thought hard enough about the subject and weighed out all the potential positives and negatives, Ralph might just change his mind...

Ralph knew he had a lot of thinking on this subject to do. But he wasn't sure what choice felt like the right one...

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Ralph was sitting at the editor's desk at the <em>Standard<em>'s office, alone. Melissa was off taking photographs for the next issue and Bert was off getting an interview with Thomas Stackson, a moose who was planning on opening up a new auto repair shop in the area. Ralph was looking at his computer, preparing to print out next week's issue which would be delivered Monday, but his mind was a million miles away from his work right now...for once...

Ralph was thinking about everything Melissa had said to him. He knew she _really_ wanted to have a child, and he knew that time was quickly running out for her to become a mother; they probably only had a few years left in which they could realistically have children. But he just didn't know if children were for them. Not every couple was meant to have children, he felt. He knew some couples around the Forest in their fifties who never had kids and seemed to be quite happy. Ralph wasn't very sure if they were meant to become parents. He didn't want Melissa to become a sad old woman constantly lamenting the fact she never had a child, but he didn't think that they could afford to take the time away from their careers to actually have a child and raise it. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation for Ralph. Whichever he chose, he would be forced to sacrifice something. If he decided that it was best that he and Melissa not have children, their careers would continue to flourish and they would continue to gain prestige. But Melissa would be very sad and upset if he made that choice. She might never be the happy, vibrant, cheerful woman he had fallen head over heels for all those years ago again. However, if he were to decide that the two of them should have children, Melissa would no doubt be delighted. In his mind, he could see the joy on her face upon finding out she was pregnant and expecting their child, the smile on her face upon seeing her new baby, and the sheer delight upon taking their baby home for the first time. It would be a happy experience for her, but would it be for Ralph? He couldn't help but worry that the time they would have to devote to a child would get in the way of their careers. Without them constantly around to see things over, there was a possibility that the _Evergreen __Standard_ could go under altogether. Ralph also had doubts about his parenting skills, and felt he most likely would make a poor father. That dream he had last night seemed to be a perfect representation of that; when Melissa had gone into labor in their kitchen he had panicked and had no idea what to do. Had that been real life he likely would have done the exact same thing as in the dream...

"_This is such a difficult choice..._" Ralph sighed. "_My career, or my wife..._"

At that moment the phone rang. Ralph figured it was someone calling about an article in the paper, so he quickly answered the phone. "_Evergreen Standard_, Ralph speaking," Ralph gave his usual reply to a phone call.

"Hey, little brother! It's me, George!" What a surprise. It was his older brother. George rarely ever called him at work. What on earth could he _possibly_ want?

"George, what on earth do you want?" Ralph asked.

"So, Ralph, I've heard that your wife wants a bun in her oven," George casually answered him. Such a tactful choice of words on George's part. That was always a bad habit of his; probably inherited from their father. George definitely looked a good deal like their father, anyways; it made sense that he took more after him than from their mother.

"Where the _hell_ did you hear that, George?"

"Nicole told me. Seems Melissa talked to her about it last night. She's pretty excited about the idea, I might say. You know the two of them are pretty close with one another..."

"_Go figure..._" Ralph thought. Ralph knew Nicole was very open with her husband; and he remembered Melissa had said she had talked about this with her. It wasn't much of a surprise to find out she had told George about this. "Well, she talked to me about it too. Last night and this morning. You are right, she is _really_ determined to have children..."

"Well, Ralph, let me say right now, once you knock her up she'll eat you out of house and home...like Nicole almost did to me...twice!" He could hear George howling with laughter on the other end of the line.

"_Oh God, not this..._" Ralph thought to himself. This was the same thing George had said to Cedric last night; Cedric was feeling rather anxious about becoming a dad and George had tired to scare Cedric by feeding him some horror stories from the times Nicole had been pregnant with first Lisa and then Bentley. It had bothered Cedric so much he had surprised the three of them (Bert included) by actually telling George to shut up. George always seemed to get a bit vulgar when he had a bit of alcohol to drink...

"George...I don't think I wanted to hear that," Ralph replied, a grimace planted on his face.

"Thought ya needed to know. Don't forget, you'll have sleepless nights for months, because the little guy'll keep crying and keep ya awake! Hahaha-" George was suddenly interrupted, as Ralph could hear Nicole shouting at her husband. "George, do not even go there! Ztop trying to zcare your brother. You tell Ralph you are zorry for telling him that! Don't make _me _come over there..." George and Nicole always had loved each other, but Ralph knew his older brother was somewhat afraid of his wife. She always tried to keep him in line when he started to act up, and George had said Nicole could be _quite_ scary when she got mad. In their relationship, Nicole definitely "wore the pants", so the phrase went, even if that might not be the best phrase since neither of them actually wore any...

"Ulp..." George gulped. "Uh-oh. Sorry, Ralph. I admit. I was trying to scare ya. It's not as bad as I said it is; I promise. So anyways," George's tone of voice changed to a more casual one, "when can Nicole and I expect to see our new little nephew...or niece?"

"George, I don't even know if I want to have children. I don't know if they're for Melissa and me. Not every couple necessarily has to have kids, you know?" Ralph sighed.

"Nonsense, Ralph! Do you hear yourself? You're sounding like a selfish ass. Or...are you afraid?"

"Afraid?" Ralph knew he was more than a little afraid. "I...I am. I'm worried that it might get in the way of our careers, and...I'm not even sure I'd make a good father..."

"You don't think you'd make a good father? Now you're being ridiculous! _Of course_ you will make a good father," George confidently stated.

"But I don't know anything about raising children. I did a terrible job the first time I looked after Bentley all those years ago. I really don't know anything about kids," Ralph embarrassingly admitted.

"I didn't think I was ever cut out for raising children either," George informed his sibling, "but, you learn as you go. You'll do just fine, Ralph. Maybe not the world's greatest dad, but I'm sure you'd do alright. Hell, you treat Melissa pretty well, don't you?" George asked.

"I do the best I can for her," Ralph replied..

"Then I'm sure you'll do fine with kids. Like I said, I didn't think I'd ever make a good dad and look at me. I brought two damn fine kids into the world and I'm proud of both of them. I still miss Lisa every day, but she's an adult now. You know, it's kind of surreal seeing your little girl become a grown woman," George sighed.

"I imagine it would be..." Ralph had to agree.

"And Bentley too. He's a good kid but I can't help but worry about him as well. I wonder if he'll actually make it out there in the world...I can't help that. He's my boy; if you have kids, you'll know what I mean..."

"I suppose I would...I just don't know George. I told Melissa I would think about it; I need time to decide," Ralph stated.

"Well, make your mind up soon, I would sure hate to not see my little brother get to have a kid of his own," George said as he hung up the phone.

Ralph went back to looking over the paper. George wanted them to have children as well. That made three people already he knew of who wanted Melissa and him to have kids: Maxie, Nicole, and George. Ralph still was not sure if they were for him, however...

At that moment, Bert came in the _Standard_'s office. "Hey, Ralphie boy!" he exclaimed. "I got that interview you wanted! Boy, Tom was quite a chatterbox..." Bert had to laugh. "I got probably five pages worth with him! I kinda made a pit-stop on the way to talk to Lisa, though...heheh...about that novel I'm writing. Needless to say I don't think I impressed her..." he sighed.

Ralph didn't really respond much. "Set the notepad down here, Bert..." Ralph unenthusiastically responded.

"What's the matter now, Ralphie boy? What could possibly be keeping down Ralph Raccoon, four-time winner of the Small Town Editor of the Year Award? '89, '91, '93, and '94. You're sure to make it five this year!" Bert said, raising his fist up in the air.

"I don't know that Bert. Last year, Jack Pennington won the award."

"The mongoose, right?" Bert asked.

"Yes, him. He runs the _Spruceton_ _Chronicle_, I think he does a fine job with his paper as well. For all we know, he could probably win it again this year," Ralph said.

"Or Harvey Hodgson the hedgehog," Bert added, "doesn't he run the _Hillcrest Obsever_?"

"Don't mention Harvey," Ralph groaned. "Unlike Jack I have no respect for him. I heard he gets money stuffed in his back pocket by the businessmen of Hillcrest. Supposedly they pay him off to write good reports on them when they are doing misdeeds..."

"Well, forget about him," Bert shrugged. "But what's your problem...? Let me guess, is it Melissa again?"

"Oh yeah," Ralph nodded. "She told me what her problem was."

"Is she going to leave you, Ralphie boy? I hope not, I always thought you two were made for each other..."

"No, she's not," Ralph plainly stated. "It's something more complicated than that..."

"Hmm..." Bert thought. "She wants something really expensive?"

"In a way, yes." Ralph was hesitant to tell Bert, since he knew Bert would probably tell every single person he came across about Melissa wanting to have children, but Bert was his old friend; it would be hard to keep it a secret from him. "She wants to have a baby, Bert."

"Ah! So Melissa has 'baby fever', does she?" Bert nudged Ralph in the elbow.

"If that's what they call it, yes. She has a _serious_ case of 'baby fever' indeed, Bert. I can't believe you and I didn't figure this out. That was why she was so quiet and upset when Sophia told us she was having a baby. That was why she was so down upon herself this whole time. I should have figured what with the baby boom going on and all something like this would happen. She's having children shoved in her face at every turn and corner; no wonder she wants to have one," Ralph stated.

"Huh, the answer was right in front of us this whole time and we didn't figure it out. How could we have missed this?" Bert simply shrugged his shoulders. "So, Ralphie boy, are you and Melissa gonna join the baby boom yourselves?"

"I...I don't know, Bert. I don't even know if I want to have children. She talked to me about this in the morning and I don't know. I just said I'd think about it, but I just don't know..."

"Ya know what I think?" Bert quipped.

"You don't seem to think very much," Ralph sarcastically replied.

"How _nice_, Ralphie...If you ask me, I think you and Melissa should go for it! I think it would be really something to have a new little fighter at the Raccoondominium. It'd be neat to see a little Ralph Jr. running around," Bert smiled. "Or a Melissa Jr., of course. Nah, it'd probably be a Melissa Jr. I always thought ever since we were young if you had any children, they'd probably all be girls. Ah, but it doesn't matter. You know, I always wanted to be 'Uncle Bert'."

"I just don't know, Bert. She would have to take time out of work to have the baby, and she wouldn't be a huge help while pregnant, especially not in the latter stages of pregnancy..." Ralph groaned. "And I would have to take time out to help her out. And then we'll both have to look after the child ourselves. With Melissa and myself preoccupied, I only wonder what would become of the _Standard_..."

"Damn, you _really_ are too attached to this job, aren't you?" Bert snickered to himself.

"Do _not_ make fun of my career," Ralph snarled. He took any attack on his career quite personally. But perhaps Bert was right...

"Well, that would be kind of...what words can I use...not too bright of you to not have a kid because of your job. That's probably why you two haven't had any so far. Ya know, I actually thought the two of you didn't want any! I never heard either of you talk about 'em before," Bert goofily smiled.

"I just don't know..."

"Well, if you need someone to look after the _Standard _for you, I'd be more than happy to do it for ya!" Bert cheerfully grinned.

"Are you _sure_ you would be able to look after it, Bert?" Ralph was afraid Bert would suggest exactly this. He knew Bert had a tendency to slack off on his work sometimes, and he couldn't see Bert handling such a responsibility very well. In his mind, he could see a newspaper with a big headline on the front page: "**_EVERGREEN STANDARD-FINAL ISSUE!_**" The thought scared Ralph greatly. "_Dear God, no..._" he thought. "_Bert would probably run the _Standard_ into the ground __if he ran it for a few weeks..._"

"I think I can do alright," Bert confidently replied. "I wouldn't do it alone, I'd get our friends to help out. You know, some of them have written articles before as well, right?"

"I know they have," Ralph nodded. "I'm just not so sure about this Bert...besides, I'm not so sure I would make a good father. I don't know if I could handle having a kid, and...I'm worried any kid Melissa and I could possibly have will end up looking up to you far more than to me...you're good with kids, and...I never particularly have been..." he sadly responded.

"Ah, don't worry, that'll never happen!" Bert smiled. "Look at Bentley. He and I might be long-time buddies, but he's never told me he thought of me as his father. He's said I'm like a big brother before, but nothing more than that. I'm sure any child you have will probably think the same as Bentley, too."

"I don't know, Bert..." Ralph repeated himself.

"Well, I do think you should have a kid, Ralph. I'm sure you would do a-okay as a Dad! But take your time and think about it. Not too long or otherwise you'll probably be forced to adopt," Bert finished as he sat down at his desk and began looking through his novel again.

Ralph knew Bert was probably bound to tell everyone about Melissa wanting children. He wasn't looking forward to what would probably happen as a result. It seemed so far everyone who knew about this thought Ralph should choose to have children; and he had a feeling soon enough everywhere he went he would be badgered by people asking him when he and Melissa were going to have a baby. He didn't like that idea very much at all. He would feel as if he were being pressured into making a decision, and that was not what he wanted in the slightest. He didn't want to feel forced; Melissa had said the choice was up to him even though she felt very strongly one way and he himself did not feel as strongly on that particular subject. He would prefer to be able to choose on his own. But Ralph knew one thing...

"_This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life..._" Ralph thought. "_And I don't know which one feels like the right __one..._"

**END CHAPTER FIVE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **And chapter five is now complete. I can't believe I'm almost halfway through with this story already! Really going by fast, isn't it. Not as fast as "Story Of Ralph", but it feels almost as fast, if not faster. So now Melissa has let Ralph know she wants to have children, but poor Ralph is so conflicted on the idea. Being the workaholic he is, he's in for a tough choice between his career and the way things have always been for them or his wife's happiness and a whole new future for the two of them. In Chapter 6, you'll see Ralph make his decision after taking some time to think about it (well, quite a fair bit of time...)

Ralph having a dream about Melissa suddenly giving birth in their kitchen; I thought that would be rather random but I put that in anyways. Were Ralph put in such a situation he probably would panic just like he did in that dream. (You can't necessarily blame him either, for any man that would be a very difficult situation to be in). Really shows Ralph's anxiety and fears on the idea of becoming a parent, I think.

I had a lot of fun with George's part in this chapter; George never got a whole lot of screen time on the show itself so he had very little time to even develop much in the way of personality. I've had fun fiddling around with his character a bit; I sincerely doubt they would have made him the way I portrayed him but it is fun to imagine.

Next chapter, you'll see Ralph making up his mind on whether or not he and Melissa should have a child, Ralph and Melissa going on a camping trip (where Ralph tells her his decision), Bert working more on his novel (I wanted to put something on that in this chapter but didn't want to make this chapter any longer so I left that out), and Bert receiving a mysterious letter from a secret admirer (who is obviously Maxie Ringtail, but Bert doesn't know that), leading to him to go to Lisa to see if she knows anything about this (I said Lisa would feature in this chapter, but it ended up turning out differently from what I planned, I'll make up for that next chapter). Stay tuned, folks!


	6. Chapter 6: Hope For The Future

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, here we are about halfway through this story. So far, this has been quite the emotional roller coaster ride. Melissa has been battling depression and a feeling of something missing from her life that should have been there all along. She figured out she wanted to have children and realized that time was running out for her to have children. Realizing that she still had a little bit of time and that if they tried right now, it would be rather likely that she and Ralph would successfully be able to conceive, she approached Ralph with the idea...only to find that Ralph was far from enthusiastic about the idea. He felt that they could not afford to take time away from their careers to have a baby, he was unnerved and even more than a little scared by the thought of Melissa being pregnant with his child, and thanks to his past experiences with children, felt he would do an awful job as a parent anyways. In this chapter, a couple of months have gone by and Ralph is still unsure about whether or not he and Melissa should actually have children, still leaning towards not having any. But, a visit to someone dear to his heart who encourages him and manages to finally get him to see the positives in having children causes Ralph to soften up towards and even like the idea, and on a camping trip with Melissa he finally lets her know what he has decided...Meanwhile, we'll also see Bert has received a mysterious letter from someone who claims to know him very well and also claims to secretly admire him. Typical Bert heads to...who else but Lisa. But enough giving away what you'll find in this chapter; let's dive straight into...

**CHAPTER SIX: Hope For The Future**

The months are going by quickly in the Evergreen Forest. It is now early May, and spring is in full bloom throughout the Forest. People who had spent most of the winter indoors were venturing outside again. In general, spring was a happy time for the Forest. But for one particular Forest resident, this spring was not _exactly_ a happy time at all. It was much more of a stressful one...

Ralph Raccoon was taking a walk through the woodlands today, alone. Melissa had offered to walk with him today, but Ralph had preferred to go for a walk alone. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and didn't really want to trouble her with them. Normally, Ralph would be in a good mood. The _Standard_ was doing better than ever, and it was springtime in the Forest again. Ralph always loved spring; it was his favorite season of the year. But this year, Ralph just couldn't feel all that enthusiastic about it...

It all had to do with his wife. A couple of months ago, Melissa had let him know why she had felt so depressed for such a long period of time: she wanted to have children. She was thirty-five years old now and in November would be turning thirty-six. Ralph was well aware that time was beginning to run out for her to become a parent. Their chances of having children were probably still pretty good if they were to try now, but if they waited a few more years their chances would diminish further and further until eventually by the time she was in her forties, they would have virtually no chance of having any kids the natural way. Melissa had asked Ralph how he felt on the subject; Ralph wished he could say he was as excited about the subject as she was, but he was not. Ralph didn't feel that they could really have children. He felt that the two of them were so attached to their careers that they really could not afford to take time away from the _Standard_ to have a baby. Ralph didn't even know what would happen if they did take the time off for a child. Most likely, Bert would be in charge of the _Standard_ while they were gone, and Ralph feared Bert would not be able to handle that responsibility. Ralph also remembered his past experiences with looking after children had...needless to say, not gone over very well. He still remembered the first time he and Melissa had looked after Bentley; Ralph felt he had done a _phenomenally_ terrible job looking after him. He felt pretty confident he would do just as poorly as an actual father as he had done as a babysitter. To top it all off, Ralph was more than a little uncomfortable imagining his wife actually going through pregnancy. It felt a little...icky to him. He wasn't sure he could handle her having food cravings, and he wasn't fond of the idea of having her going through mood swings and being yelled at from time to time, considering he _really_ hated to be yelled at. Plus, the thought of Melissa physically giving birth to a child really grossed him out. Ralph was rather squeamish when it came to things like that. If Melissa actually were to get pregnant, Ralph felt pretty confident he would not be able to stay with her in the delivery room to watch her give birth. But she would probably want him to be there...

Over the past couple months, more fears began to pop up for Ralph. What if he did decide they should have children? Melissa would be happy, no doubt, but he wasn't so sure...Lately, Ralph had many dreams featuring Melissa having children...and it either featured something going wrong or Ralph _absolutely_ loathed the outcome. Just the other night, Ralph had dreamed that Melissa had given birth to _eleven_ babies. The most Ralph knew of anyone having is seven; eleven children in one birth would surely land them in the Guinness Book of World Records. But then again, Ralph realized that dream was more than a little ridiculous. There was no way Melissa would be able to carry eleven children at one time; even if she could, there was zero chance they would all survive. Ralph did have to laugh at that dream since he knew that was impossible. But still, he knew that if he decided he and Melissa should have children, it was not unfathomable for them to have twins, or maybe even triplets. Ralph felt he would not be able to handle having to look after multiple baby raccoons at one time. But Ralph's biggest fears concerned Melissa herself. She was not a young woman anymore; she was approaching middle age. He knew at her age, if she were to get pregnant, the chances of health problems were greater than they were if she were younger. What if she were to have complications from pregnancy? He couldn't begin to imagine something bad happening to her. The thought of losing her made him feel miserable inside. And what if she were to have a miscarriage, or give birth to a stillborn child? Something like that would absolutely break his wife's heart. She might never recover from the pain of something along the lines of that happening. He didn't know if he wanted to risk having something to that effect happening to her...

But Melissa has been patient with him. She had opted to leave it up to him to decide whether or not they should try to have children. Over these past couple months, she had periodically asked him if he had made up his mind yet. But she wasn't trying to pressure him into making a decision. She was letting him take his time. However, it seemed nobody else was. Ralph felt it was a mistake letting Bert know about this, as Bert had gone and told nearly everyone he knew around the Forest about Melissa wanting children. During this time, nearly everywhere he had went, both friends and acquaintances had pestering him about having children. "When are you going to have children, Ralph? When are you going to have children, Ralph?" Everyone seemed to want them to have children. Even Lady Baden-Baden, the Forest's mayor and the well-renowned friendly socialite, had thought it was a good idea that the famed editor of the _Evergreen Standard_ and the Forest's most renowned photographer should have a child together. She had made sound like it was such a marvelously grand idea. Ralph had talked to a few people about this difficult decision. He had quite a few talks with his older brother and Cedric, an experienced father and an expectant father. Both of them had thought it was a good idea and felt that Ralph was not giving a fair chance. Cedric especially had scolded Ralph for dwelling on the negatives of potentially having children and had told him that he should try to think of the positives of such a situation. But no matter how much Ralph tried to think of any positives, his fears and worries kept coming back to the forefront of his mind...

"_Surely,_" Ralph thought to himself, "_there's someone who can help me decide the right choice; my __career and stability or my wife's happiness and an uncertain future..._" Ralph was trying to think of one person off the top of his head who could help him out...Suddenly, it dawned upon him. There _was_ someone who could help him decide the right choice; someone very dear and close to him... _"I was planning to visit her tomorrow anyways,_" Ralph mused, "_when I visit her tomorrow, I'll discuss this with her..._"

* * *

><p>Millicent Raccoon, or "Millie" as she was more affectionately known as, was sitting inside her old home, the same home she had lived in for the past fifty years. It was another lonely day here at Kiln House, the name of the old homestead.<p>

Millie sighed as she gazed out the window from her couch where she was busy knitting a blanket. The elderly raccoon was feeling alone in life; it had been almost a year since her husband, Arthur, had passed away. In a way, she was glad he had passed away. He hadn't been himself in years. He had been in very poor health and had many heart attacks over the previous decade; one had finally done him in in his sleep. He had also been suffering from diabetes which kept him from eating his beloved fatty foods and a failing liver from years of consuming alcohol. He was in a better place, she felt; he wasn't suffering anymore. But still...she felt lonely without her husband's company. Sure, she knew Arthur had been far from a regular scholar; he always had been a few marbles short of the complete bag. He had done many questionable things in his lifespan, and had thoroughly embarrassed her who knows how many times. But, she couldn't help but miss him. He had been her husband; the man she had loved most in the world. Even if he got on her nerves constantly, she still loved him for who he was. If she hadn't have loved him, there was no way they would have been married for just shy of fifty years. She had never really known how much she would miss his antics until he was actually gone. Millie was turning seventy years old next year; she did not have much more to look forward to in her life. She had been married for the majority of her life and had two beautiful children who were doing wonderfully on their own. What did she really have to look forward to other than the grave?

At that moment, a knock came on the front door. Millie gingerly got up from the couch to open the door. "Hello?" she asked as she opened the door.

Before her stood a very familiar face. She knew who he was right away. His face looked so much like hers; he was almost like a younger male version of her, appearance-wise. He even had her droopy eyes... "Hi, Mom," the visitor greeted her.

"Ralphie!" Millie happily exclaimed. It was none other than Ralph, her son. She always loved a visit from her children, especially Ralph. It was no secret that between her two children Ralph was definitely her favorite. She really had a special soft spot for him; he was the younger of her two children. He was her baby; she couldn't help but feel a strong attachment to him. Ralph was holding a vase filled with flowers in one arm and was holding a heart-shaped balloon that read "Happy Mother's Day, Mom" on it with his other paw. "Come here, my little Ralphie," she smiled as she hugged her son.

"Happy Mother's Day. I love you, Mom," Ralph smiled as he handed her the vase and the balloon.

"I love you too, Ralph," his mother smiled as she kissed her son on his cheek. Ralph immediately became embarrassed.

"Mom!" Ralph uncomfortably shouted. "You don't have to do that. I'm a grown man now!" Ralph felt embarrassed every time his mother showered him with affection. Ralph did love his mother...well...a lot, of course, but she had a habit of embarrassing him. This was why he was hesitant to invite her to any parties he and Melissa held; he felt she might humiliate him in front of their friends.

"Sorry, Ralphie," Millie sighed, "I can't help it. Even if you might be a grown man in your thirties now, in my mind you'll still always be my little boy. Those will always be my fondest memories," Millie stated as she placed the vase on the table and tied the balloon to the back of a chair in the dining room. "I'll always remember you best as my little child telling me how much you loved your Mommy. I wish I could see you more often than I actually do."

"You never show George this much affection," Ralph groaned.

"It's not that I don't love George, Ralphie, he's my son, too. But I can't help it. Every mother who's had more than one child has to have a favorite, you know. And you're my favorite. George always got along best with your father, anyways," Millie replied.

"How have you been doing since Dad passed away?" Ralph cautiously asked, afraid he might upset his mother.

"I've been doing...alright, I guess. But it's not the same without your father. I miss the big guy a lot. It's awfully lonely without him around. I can hardly believe it's been nearly a year since he's been gone," she heavily sighed. "About all I really have to look forward in life is when I die so I can be with him once again..."

"I miss Dad too, Mom," Ralph agreed. "Sure, he wasn't the smartest man or the greatest father, and we never had that close of a bond between us...but, still. He was my Dad. The only one I'll ever get to have. It's hard to believe he's actually gone." Ralph cleared his throat as he was about to tell his mother what he wanted to discuss with her. "Mom, there's something I'd really like to talk to you about. I need your advice," he admitted.

"Ralphie, if you need any advice from your mother, I'm always willing to lend you an ear," Millie smiled. "So what's on your mind?"

"Well," Ralph began, "it concerns Melissa."

"Melissa?" Millie knew her quite well. "She really is a sweetheart, Ralphie. You were very lucky to marry a good woman like her. I know she helps take photographs for your paper. What's she been up to?"

"I know; she really is an angel," Ralph smiled. "She's not been up to much lately. She's been really depressed lately, and not too long ago she let me know why..."

"Why is she upset?" Millie wondered.

"Well...Mom, she wants to have children. As you might know there is a bit of a baby boom going around the Forest lately and one of our friends and his wife is expecting a child. I think it made her realize she is getting older and time is running out for her to have children of her own, so she told she would like to have children," Ralph confessed.

"Oh, I remember, Cedric and his wife are having a baby," Millie nodded. "I liked Cedric. He was a very nice boy and a good friend of yours. So, Melissa wants to have children, does she?"

"Yes, she does. She was _very _excited about the idea. I've never heard her so enthusiastic about anything before!" It surprised Ralph that his mother didn't know about this already, but he guessed that news had yet to reach her...

"Well, I can understand why. She's...how old is she now?"

"She's thirty-five," Ralph answered.

"Ah, I remember. A year older than you. If she really wants children, and she hasn't had any yet, thirty-five is definitely when I think someone in her position should start to get serious about having them. So," Millie smiled, "Ralphie, will I be having grandchild number three soon?"

"Mom, I...I don't know. This feels so sudden to me, and...and...I'm just not sure. She's giving me time to make up my mind, but," Ralph choked out, "I'm just so unsure about this. Mom...what do you think? Do you think Melissa and I should have children?" Ralph asked her.

"You're asking me?" Millie smiled as she quickly answered her son. "If you ask me, yes. I think you and Melissa should definitely have children."

"Not you too..." Ralph groaned. It figured his own mother would want them to have children too.

"I get the feeling you've been told it's a good idea a lot lately," Millie responded as she placed her paw on her son's shoulder.

"Everyone I've come across has told me we should. But I just don't know. I just don't know if it's for us or not. Mom...I'm afraid," Ralph admitted.

"Afraid?" Millie was surprised, but she was sympathetic towards Ralph. "Why would you be afraid, Ralphie?"

"A lot of reasons. For one...I'm a bit scared by the idea of Melissa being pregnant..." he embarrassingly confessed.

"Ah, Ralphie, well...depending on the situation, pregnancy can either be a joyful experience or a stressful one," Millie replied. "I've had the opportunity to see it from both sides. George...George was not planned. That was very stressful for me and for your father as we weren't even twenty yet and we were already expecting a child. We had to get married really young, because back in the 1940s it was really taboo for an unmarried couple to sleep with each other, much less be expecting a child..."

"I can only imagine what you had to go through," Ralph answered her.

"But then years later, I wanted to have another child. George was not too far away from leaving the house and I felt I didn't do a good enough job raising him because I had him so young. So I told your father I wanted to have another child. He was surprised at first, but eventually he agreed to it. Of course, that child was you," Millie smiled at her son. "Maybe that's why you're so special to me. I really wanted to have another child and I was lucky to have you before it was too late for me."

"You mean you planned to have me...?" His mother had never told him that through all these years. He wondered why she didn't tell him. "All these years, I figured that if you had me so many years after George, I must have been accidental..."

"I thought I told you about this before, Ralphie? Well, if I didn't, no. I planned to have you the whole time. You were born premature, though," Millie sighed as she remembered when Ralph was born in the Montana hospital while they were on vacation. "That's why you were born in Montana. You came along a month sooner than you were expected to. You were so tiny then. I remember you weighed less than four pounds. It's really hard to believe how much you've grown since then."

"Mom, why didn't you tell me all this?" Ralph asked.

"Ralph...I thought I did. I guess I forgot to tell you...I'm sorry, Ralphie. I hope you're not mad at me."

"No, of course not. You're my mother," Ralph smiled. "It's hard for me to be mad at you."

"Anyways, Ralphie, getting back to my point, a planned pregnancy is a much happier experience than an unexpected one, I think. It will be a joyous experience for you and Melissa. My happiest memories are of you and George as young kits. Melissa is a good woman; I think it would be sad if you did not allow her to have the chance to have memories like those," Millie finished.

"But Mom, I'm worried something bad could happen to her..." Ralph began, but Millie quickly interrupted her son.

"Ralphie, don't even begin to think about what could go wrong. There's no point in worrying about what _could_ happen."

"Well, alright, Mom, but...will Melissa and I actually be able to afford to take the time away from our careers to actually have a baby? I don't think we can do it..."

Millie was aghast. She couldn't believe the words coming out of her son's mouth. "Ralph, do you hear how _selfish_ what you're saying is?"

"Selfish?" Ralph didn't think he was being selfish.

"After all these years, you are still selfishly devoted to that career of yours. You are putting your career ahead of Melissa's own happiness. That goes against what I tried to teach you, Ralph," Millie scowled. "I taught you be selfless; that those you love's happiness should come before yours. Instead you are focusing on yourself and not even considering your wife's happiness. I think your Uncle Rocky rubbed off on you a bit too much."

"I thought Uncle Rocky was a good influence on me...at least, I thought he was. I took it really hard when he decided to disown me for not following in his career path..." Ralph sighed.

"Well, Ralphie, if you ask me, I think you were better off without him in your life. He was exactly like that. Rocky was the most selfish man I have ever met in my life. He cared for nobody but himself. His career was what was important to him; he never even had time for a wife because he put his career ahead of everything else," Millie growled. Her opinion of Rocky was a _very_ poor one. "Ralph, if Rocky even cared for you at all, he would have never disowned you simply for choosing to follow a different career path. He would have accepted you no matter what you wanted to be. I think you might have been better off without him."

Ralph was stunned. Uncle Rocky had been a bad influence on him all along...? That was a surprise to him. He had never even thought that might be so. "I mean, I just don't know if..."

Millie interrupted her son. "Ralphie, don't you remember? Your selfish devotion to work almost cost you Melissa in the first place. Are you sure you want to sacrifice children for your career?"

That was news to Ralph. Ralph couldn't remember off the top of his head how his selfishness had almost caused him to lose Melissa. But maybe his mother was onto something? "But, Mom, one more thing...I'm not sure I'll make a good father..."

"Oh..." Millie always knew her son had self-doubt issues. He had been lacking in confidence ever since he was a child. Even though he was better now, she knew he still had doubts well into his adult years. But she didn't see why her son should doubt himself. "Ralphie, of _course_ you will make a wonderful father. Why would you think you wouldn't?"

"Because," Ralph sadly sighed, "all my experiences looking after children have gone _terribly_. I really did a horrible job looking after Bentley the first time George asked me and Melissa to watch him..."

"You were how old then?" Millie asked her son.

"Twenty-three, I think," Ralph replied.

"You were younger then, but you are older and more mature now. I think you can handle taking care of a child, Ralphie. Besides, you have been a good husband to Melissa," she added.

"I've never thought I was much of a husband..." Ralph admitted.

"But _of course_ you are. Melissa clearly thinks you are a good husband to her. If she didn't think so, I don't think she would have stayed married to you for so long. She probably would have left you for someone she felt was better. But she didn't, because she loves you and she thinks you are the perfect man for her. Being a good husband should also mean you will be a good father as well. It doesn't guarantee that, but I think you will do fine."

Ralph had taken in a lot from his mother today, but he still wasn't sure how he felt. "Mom...I'm still not sure..."

"Well, Ralph, I'll say that I was about the same age Melissa is now when you were born. If you decided to have children and tried right now, your chances of having a baby, unless something's seriously wrong with Melissa, are very good. But the longer you wait, the less and less likely it is you will be able to have any if you decide to have them. I hope you will make your mind up on this soon, Ralphie," Millie replied.

"I will," Ralph nodded. "It was nice seeing you, Mom. Take care," Ralph smiled as he got up from the couch to leave.

"Now hold on a minute, Ralphie," Millie stopped him. "I haven't gotten my hug goodbye yet."

"Oh, alright," Ralph shrugged as he gave his mother a hug goodbye. "I'll see you sometime, Mom. Do take care."

"Take care yourself, Ralphie. I hope you make the right choice..." Millie said as she watched her son leave.

* * *

><p>It's a Thursday afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. And today, Melissa Raccoon was heading back to the <em>Evergreen Standard<em>'s office from another photo assignment...

Melissa had tried her best to remain cheerful the past two months. She knew Ralph was thinking about whether or not the two of them should have children. Over these past couple months, Melissa's desire to have a child had grown even stronger, however. It seemed to her that no matter where she went, she kept seeing children. Every time she went to a store, she would come across a young mother and their infant child, or a pregnant woman expecting one. She had recently taken photos of the schoolyard while Bert had gotten an interview with Lisa. She had gotten plenty of pictures of the young children playing and having fun with their coach. Plus, the baby boom was still going strong; it was not uncommon to see Ralph typing up an article about a couple having their first child on his computer.

But every time she saw children or mothers with their children, a voice seemed to be nagging at the back of her mind. "_You will never be like them, Melissa. You are never going to have children of your own. You are going to go your whole life childless._" Unfortunately...it seemed like there was a good chance that was going to come true. She had approached Ralph with the idea of having children a couple of months previously; but much to her disappointment, Ralph had been unsure and uncomfortable with the whole idea. He had felt that the two of them might be better off simply not having any and just living their lives as they always had. Melissa had been saddened hearing Ralph saying that. She had decided to give him some time to make up his mind on this serious issue, and at first, she had felt confident Ralph would change his mind.

However, it was becoming quite clear to her he wasn't going to change his mind on this matter. It was pretty obvious Ralph did not want children or anything to do with them. She realized it was only a matter of time before Ralph approached her telling her worst fears; that he did not want to have kids and that she should just resume her life as normal without them. The thought saddened her greatly. But she knew it would happen sooner than later; Ralph would have to tell her that. In the back of her mind, she could hear that child from her dreams taunting her again: "_You'll never catch me..._" It looked like she was never going to catch that child. Ralph was going to choose to waste their opportunity to have a family; it seemed. As much as she tried to maintain a cheerful and hopeful front these past two months, deep down she was feeling sadder than she ever had before.

And to make matters worse, this weekend was her wedding anniversary. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year for her. It was the twelfth anniversary of the day she had become a married woman; the day two souls had become one; the day she had become Mrs. Ralph Raccoon. She should feel happy to spend a day celebrating her marriage with her beloved. But fate was cruel to her this year. "_Wouldn't you know it,_" Melissa sadly thought, "_the year I finally want to have children of my own, our wedding anniversary happens to also fall on Mother's Day__._" It was true. Their wedding anniversary was May 12th. In this particular year, 1996, their anniversary fell on the second Sunday of the month, which meant that particular day was Mother's Day. It was like she was being tormented everywhere she went for not having had children. She couldn't even celebrate her wedding anniversary without having it shoved in her face that she would likely never get to be a mother...

Melissa slowly shuffled her way into the _Standard_'s office. Ralph, for once, didn't seem to be focused on his computer. Bert was out getting an interview with Lady Baden-Baden, so he wasn't there. It was odd. It looked like Ralph was lost in thought about something or other. She couldn't begin to imagine _what_, however.

"Ralph, I got the photos," Melissa said as she forced a smile.

"Huh?" Ralph said, interrupted from his train of thought. "Oh! Well, good job, honey. I bet they look great."

"I'll be in the dark room developing them..." Melissa smiled as she headed into the dark room, a place where she could be alone with her thoughts. As soon as she entered the dark room, instead of getting to work developing her photographs, she sat down and started to cry; realizing her chances of having a baby of her own were dwindling...

Meanwhile, Ralph was busy thinking about everything his mother had said to him the previous day. So far, she probably had been the wisest person he had talked to about this. But he still wasn't entirely sold on this whole idea of having children. However, one thing his mother said stuck out in his mind: "_Ralphie, don't you remember? Your selfish devotion to work almost cost you Melissa in the first place. Are you sure you want to sacrifice children for your career?_"

Ralph was really thinking about this. Was it really selfish of him to not want his wife to have kids? How he had almost lost Melissa in the first place, anyways? "_Wait a minute..._" Ralph thought to himself. "_I remember..._"

In his mind, Ralph remembered when he was twenty years old in his second year of college. He was busy typing an article for the _Evergreen University Chronicle_, the college's newspaper which he was on staff for. A knock came at the door.

"Come in," an annoyed Ralph said as he went back to his article.

The door opened as before him stood a younger Melissa. She had a big smile on her face; she was clearly happy about something. "Hi, Ralph," she waved to him. "So, what are you doing?"

"Oh, ah, I'm busy typing up a few articles for our college paper. I'm a bit behind schedule..." Ralph admitted as he went back to work.

"It's good to see you work so hard, Ralph," Melissa responded, "but, you ought to take some time out to have some fun every now and then. You know what I mean?"

"Ah, sure, I suppose so..."

"That's why I came here. Ralph, have you heard? There's a big Valentine's Day Dance coming up soon down at the Baden-Baden Residence. Lady Baden-Baden is throwing this big occasion for the couples of Evergreen Forest," Melissa eagerly grinned.

"Couples dance?" Ralph was confused.

"Ralph Raccoon, I'd like to ask if you would like to be my date to the Dance," Melissa suddenly asked him as her face absolutely glowed red. Looking back at this in the present day, he knew Melissa had been trying to ask him out. "I thought we could have a good time together. I couldn't think of a better guy to ask than you," she smiled.

"I'm afraid I can't go, Melissa," Ralph quickly replied.

"Really? Why?" Melissa had asked, a confused and saddened expression suddenly occupying her face.

"Oh, I have some really big assignments coming up for some of my classes, and I need to complete them in the next few weeks. I don't have time for a silly dance," Ralph answered her as he went back to typing.

"What's the matter with you? Can't you put aside your work for a little while and have some fun? You know it would be good for you…" Melissa pleaded with him.

"Sorry. I'm not going, Melissa."

Much to Ralph's surprise, Melissa quickly grew angry at him. "Ralph Raccoon, I don't believe it! How can you tell me no? I was really looking forward to this!"

"What...What did I do?" Ralph was confused.

"You know damn well what you've done, Ralph! I'm out of here, Ralph. I don't want to speak to you again, you're...you're...you're such a JERK!" she fumed as she angrily slammed the door behind her, her eyes absolutely filled with tears.

"Was it something I said...?"

Back in the present day, Ralph had just had an epiphany. "_My...My God..._" Ralph thought to himself. "_I haven't improved any __since then at all. Even then, I was putting my work ahead of her. I almost missed out on her altogether because of my selfish devotion to work. I don't even want to think how that could have played out. I might not have gotten to marry the most wonderful woman in the world had things turned out differently,_" Ralph thought to himself.

"Mom's right..." Ralph said to himself. "I...I am selfish. All this time, my career has been more important to me than my own wife's happiness. She should be what's most important to me; not my job..."

After his eureka moment, he quickly went back to thinking. "_Okay,_" Ralph thought, "_so I have been selfish. But can Melissa and I really have children? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with her being pregnant...and I'm still not sure I can see myself as being a good father__..._"

But Ralph realized he had been dwelling on the negatives of becoming a parent and had not even bothered to think of the positives of having children. "_There has to be positives...right?_" Ralph tried to think of the good out of becoming a parent...

In his mind, Ralph envisioned an overjoyed Melissa excitedly telling him she had just found out she was pregnant as she and Ralph happily hugged each other. He imagined the two of them smiling as they were at the hospital looking at the first photos of their developing baby right after Melissa had an ultrasound performed on her. He imagined a more visibly pregnant Melissa excitedly telling him she could feel the baby kicking as she allowed him to place his paw on her swelling stomach as he felt his child moving around in there. And he imagined a happy, if rather woozy, Melissa handing Ralph their newborn baby (which, in Ralph's mind, was a boy) as he got to hold his child for the first time in his life.

Those thoughts actually brought a smile to Ralph's face. "_You know, maybe Melissa going through pregnancy wouldn't be such a bad experience, after_ _all..._" he happily thought to himself. But could he see himself as an actual father?

Ralph turned back to his imagination again. He imagined feeding their child his baby food as he threw it into his face. Singing their child to sleep with an old lullaby his own mother had once sang to him as a smiling Melissa looked on. Reading his child a story from an old picture-book. Picking up his child from his first day of school as he reassured him that things would get better. Him and Melissa telling their son the story of how Mommy and Daddy met, fell in love, and got married many years ago. Ralph eagerly showing his son where Mommy and Daddy worked and how they put the _Standard _together. Him and Melissa playing baseball together with their child, along with his Uncle Bert, Uncle George, and Uncle Cedric. But one thought touched Ralph's heart most of all...

Ralph imagined talking with his hypothetical son one day after school.

"Dad, I want to tell you something," his son spoke to him.

"You do? Tell me, Ralph Jr., what do you want to talk about?" Ralph smiled at his son.

"Dad...when I'm big and all grown-up, like you and Mom are, I want to be just like you," his son grinned.

"Really? You want to be like me?"

"Yes. You two are my heroes, Dad! When I'm all grown up, I want to run the _Evergreen Standard _myself..."

In real life, Ralph was touched just thinking about that. He had never even thought about that this whole time. What if he and Melissa had children that _did_ look up to him? Ralph knew he couldn't run the _Standard_ forever...maybe someday, his future children might want to run it?

"_You know, now that I really think about it, I actually...I actually think having children might not be all that bad, after_ _all..._" He realized he was warming up to the idea. The more he thought of the positives of having children, the more the negatives seemed to vanish from his mind. Maybe having children would be the best experience in his life...

Ralph felt he needed to talk to Melissa about this. He got up from his desk and headed towards the dark room. "Honey?" Ralph said as he called for Melissa.

"I'm...I'm right here, Ralph..." a saddened voice answered him.

Ralph entered the dark room as he saw, much to his surprise, Melissa had her head buried into her paws. She was crying. Ralph had a good idea why. He knew Mother's Day was this weekend and she was probably feeling saddened that she might never get the chance to have any children of her own. Ralph couldn't stand to see his soulmate's beautiful blue eyes so full of sadness. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"Oh...nothing, Ralph..." Melissa sighed as she hurriedly wiped her eyes. "I'm just worried about what you are going to do for our anniversary," she lied. She didn't want to discuss this with Ralph as he would probably tell her that they were not going to have kids.

"_Uh oh...our anniversary is this weekend...I almost forgot and I haven't gotten any presents for her!_" Ralph thought, alarmed. "_I **really** have to stop being so s__elfish..._" Ralph mentally slapped himself. He knew he had to think up something really quick. An idea was quickly forming in his mind... "Melissa...that reminds me. I have a really nice surprise planned for us this year," he smiled.

"You do? Mind telling me what you've got in mind?" Melissa asked, still feeling rather sad.

"Normally I wouldn't tell you because it's supposed to be a surprise, but I can't really keep this a secret. Honey, how would you like to go on a canoeing trip this weekend for our anniversary?" Ralph just thought up on the fly.

"Hmm..." Melissa thought out loud. "You know, Ralph...it _has_ been a long time since you and I actually went out camping together. You know...I think that sounds like a good idea, sweetie. I think I like it," Melissa managed to crack a smile, feeling a little bit better. But she had a bad feeling that on this trip, Ralph would tell her what he had decided when it came to children...

"I'm sure it will, honey," Ralph smiled. He still wasn't entirely sure on the subject of offspring, but he knew he was definitely softening up towards the idea. He felt he would make his mind up _very_ soon...

* * *

><p>It was Saturday morning in the Raccoondominium. Bert was lazing back on the couch, playing his Nintendo Gamedude looking on as Ralph was busy packing a backpack. Today, he and Melissa were leaving for a couple of days as they were heading on a canoeing trip. Ralph had mentioned it was his idea of an anniversary present for Melissa. As for her, she was currently upstairs packing her backpack as well.<p>

"So, Ralphie, I see you're not packing a TV this time," Bert chuckled.

"I don't think I'll need one..." Ralph shrugged. "I don't know what the hell was wrong with me back then. What could I even do with a TV out in the wilderness?"

"Beats me," Bert said as he went back to playing his Gamedude.

"What are you so busy playing, anyways?" Ralph scowled, annoyed by the large amount of noise the Gamedude was making.

"Oh, uh, _Wario Land_," Bert quickly replied. "It's a good game. Bentley gave it to me when he was done playing. I'm in Mt. Teapot right now; trying to get the UFO to come down so I can fight the boss of this world."

"_Wario Land_...Oh geez..." Ralph groaned. Ralph didn't really get video games at all. He didn't see what the point of them actually was. "Last time I actually played a video game was back when we were in high school. I remember _Space Conquistadors_..."

"Oh yeah, you were _really_ bad at that game," Bert chuckled. "But I also remember when I showed you _Super Mario Brothers_. Good grief, you were embarrassing at that game! I remember you kept dying on the first level because you didn't know which button made you jump and you kept running headfirst into a Goomba," Bert guffawed.

"Ah, don't remind me," Ralph shook his head. "Who on earth is this Wario supposed to be anyways? Is he the Mario Bros.' rip-off or something?"

"No, he's Mario's greedy twin," Bert explained. "He's on a quest to get his very own castle. Ya know, he kinda reminds me of ol' Hose Nose back in his old days when he used to hate our guts..." Bert chuckled.

"Sounds like they would have made great friends," Ralph shrugged.

"I bet. So," Bert said, changing the subject, "when are you going to make up your mind on whether you and Melissa should have kids, Ralphie boy?"

"I don't know, Bert. Stop trying to pressure me," Ralph growled. Bert had not shut up about this since he had told him that Melissa wanted a baby. He had _really_ gotten himself hyped up about this. In actuality, Ralph was on the verge of making up his mind. He had thought more about this, and with more positive thoughts coming to his mind, he felt sure he would make his decision within a matter of days or so...

"Melissa!" Ralph called upstairs. "I'm all ready to go. Are you ready, honey?"

"Sure thing, Ralph," Melissa said as she came downstairs.

"Alright, I think we should get going if we want to hit the water right now," Ralph said.

"I guess I'll see you two Monday, right?" Bert said as the raccoon couple headed for the door.

"Sure thing, Monday," Melissa lightly smiled. "Bert, make sure to look after the house for us. Do you think you can do that?"

"Eh, I'll do fine," Bert said, not looking away from his Gamedude.

Ralph shook his head. "We'll be seeing you, Bert," he said as he and Melissa left to go on their trip together.

After a while, Bert grew tired of playing _Wario Land_. He was getting pretty tired of trying to get a key in Stove Canyon and failing over and over again as the lava burnt him up. "Hmm...I wonder what's in the mail..." Bert said as he got up from the couch and got the mail out of the mailbox.

"Hmm..." Bert said as he quickly went through the mail. "Junk mail, junk mail, a chance to win $100,000...bills...they send way too much of those, don't they?" Bert chuckled. "Junk mail, junk mail...Hey!" he exclaimed as he saw something that caught his interest. "A letter addressed to me! Let's see what it says..."

Bert opened the envelope and quickly read the letter. He was really...fascinated, to say the least, by what he read in the letter. "I think someone out there likes me," he smiled. But the letter did not leave an address, and it was not signed. "I wonder who it could be from..." Bert thought aloud.

Suddenly, someone came to his mind. Someone very close to Bert's heart..."I better go talk to her!" Bert cheerfully exclaimed as he raced out the front door.

Lisa Raccoon was outside her house near the Evergreen Lake. Since it was a Saturday, Lisa didn't have work at Evergreen Elementary today, so she was just having fun playing basketball this morning. She had always been quite a natural at the sport. She remembered leading Evergreen High to a provincial championship in girl's basketball the one year she had gone there. Now, though, it was just something she liked to do for fun...

Presently a very familiar face came up to her. "Hey, Lisa!" an all-too familiar voice called out to her. Sure enough, it was none other than Bert, a very dear friend of hers. Their friendship went back almost a decade. When her family had first moved to the Evergreen Forest, she had a hard time adjusting to her new home, but he had helped her adjust. She was grateful to him for his help over all these years.

"Oh! Hi, Bert," she waved.

"What are you doing this morning, Lisa? Practicing hoops again, I see?"

"You know me all too well, don't you?" Lisa smiled.

"When we know each other well enough, I pretty much get to know your hobbies quite well," Bert grinned.

"Heheh, I bet you couldn't beat me in a game, Bert..." Lisa smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Bert said, willing to take her up on that challenge. "Well, you're on, Lisa!" Bert was always willing to play against Lisa. Even if he was not very good at basketball, it was always fun to play with her...

"I think you just made a big mistake, Bert," Lisa said, her smirk growing.

Sure enough, she was right. Bert, as usual, stood no chance against Lisa. She was a natural at the sport and he was not. She was demolishing him 25-2 and there was pretty much no hope for him to catch up with her.

"You know, Bert, I think you're quite out of my league. You never present me with much of a challenge," she chuckled as she dribbled the basketball.

"Well, of course ya are. You played basketball in high school, and me? Well, I played baseball. I used to be pretty good...once..."

"Hmm...Maybe if we played baseball together, our roles would be reversed..." Lisa mused. "So, what brings you here, Bert?"

"Eh, I just wanted to talk," Bert sheepishly smiled. "Ralph and Melissa are off on a canoeing trip together and they're not going to be back until Monday morning. Figured it'd be nice to talk to someone."

"Oh, that's because tomorrow's their anniversary, isn't it?" Lisa remembered. "I remember when they first got married. I remember I was the flower girl at their wedding. I was only a little girl then. They've been married twelve years now, haven't they?"

"Yeah, I think that's how long it's been," Bert replied. "I get the feeling they're gonna be together for fifty years, or maybe even more."

"They always have loved each other a lot," Lisa agreed. "So, I remember last time we had a real talk you told me that Aunt Melissa wanted to have children and Uncle Ralph was trying to make up his mind about it. What did he say to her?"

"He still doesn't know," Bert informed her. "But I'm sure he'll make his mind up soon. I bet he and Melissa will have kids...sooner than we might even think. Maybe by this time next year!"

"Well, who knows," Lisa replied, "but I think it would be really nice if they did have a kid. I'm sure they would do a good job taking care of one. Plus, I would like to have a little cousin to play with," she smiled. "You know, the funny thing is not too long ago, I had a dream where they actually did have a child."

"Huh, sounds like quite a dream..." Bert said. "Oh! I almost forgot. I got a letter in the mail today..."

"You did, huh?" Lisa answered him. "From who? And about what?"

"Well, I don't know who sent it..." Bert admitted as he pulled the letter out of seemingly nowhere, "but here. Why don't you take a look at it?" Bert had a feeling Lisa had written that letter to him, and maybe she was about to tell him she secretly loved him this whole time...

"Well, alright," Lisa said as she began to read from the letter: "Dear Bert: I know you quite well and I have always considered you a dear friend of mine. You've really brought some joy to my otherwise miserable life. As a matter of fact, if you asked me...I really like you, Bert. You might even say that I love you. I've never really met a man like you before, but you fascinate me in a way no one else ever has. I wish I could tell you who I was, but if I did, I'm afraid you'd reject me right away. Maybe if I were a little more brave I would tell you who I am...I wish you could feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I just thought I'd let you know someone out there is really thinking about you," Lisa finished. "Wow, Bert. Sounds to me like someone _really_ likes you. Do you have any idea who could have written this?"

"I was hoping you would know..." Bert grinned his typical goofy smile.

"Well...I don't know who it could be," Lisa admitted. "I don't recognize the handwriting. If I did, that would be a big clue to who wrote this. All we know is that this is someone you know..."

"Well, that could be anyone," Bert said, feeling a bit disappointed as he realized Lisa had not written the letter. Someone else out there had feelings for him...but who? Bert knew he was a womanizer in the past; could this be a letter from an old high school girlfriend who was secretly longing for him after all these years?

"I guess we'll have to figure this out sometime," Lisa shrugged.

"I guess so..." Bert replied. "I think I oughta get going. See ya, Lisa," Bert said as he left, still feeling somewhat disappointed Lisa had not been the one to write the letter.

"See you later, Bert," Lisa waved. She was still unsure who could have written the letter...until one name crossed her mind.

"_Could Maxie Ringtail have written that letter?_" she idly thought. Maxie was her brother's girlfriend's mother, and her closest neighbor. The two of them talked occasionally; Maxie seemed like a pretty nice middle-aged woman, although she seemed to be chronically depressed virtually all the time. She and Bert did seem to talk to one another quite a lot...plus Maxie did seem to be very lonely. Could it be that she had written that letter to him? She did somewhat fit the description the mysterious writer had given..."_Hmm...I wonder what would happen if Bert and Maxie dated one another__?_" Lisa thought. She imagined Bert smiling as he and Maxie were walking through the woods together holding each other's paws. The two of them taking a ride on Bert's old raft, the _Companionship_, together. The two of them sitting on a mountainside having a picnic together. Bert grinning that trademark silly grin of his as he held Maxie close as they looked up at a meteor shower together. "_You know, I have to admit, __I think the two of them would make a pretty cute couple,_" Lisa thought. "_Maybe they would make a good match for each other?_" But then again, there were probably several other women in this forest who could have fit this description, too. Bert did have a few female friends around the Forest...

"_I guess we'll find out who wrote it in time..._"

* * *

><p>It was Saturday night in the Evergreen Forest. Ralph and Melissa were sitting on a small grassy knoll, gathered around a fire. They had made their ways down the river quite a ways and had decided to set up camp for the night. In just a few hours, they would officially have been married for twelve years.<p>

"So, Ralph," Melissa said to her husband, "I see you still haven't learned the golden rule of canoeing: never stand up in a boat," she chuckled. It was true. Ralph had stood up in the boat again and had wound up taking a tumble and bumping his head in the boat.

"I guess I never really learn..." Ralph shrugged.

"For someone who's so concerned about the environment, sometimes you don't seem to know a whole lot about it," she teased him.

"I probably should get out more," Ralph admitted.

"Maybe," Melissa said as she and Ralph gazed up at the constellations in the sky together. "You know, Ralph, it's been a long time since we've actually stargazed together."

"Boy, you aren't kidding," Ralph chuckled. "It really has. We used to do this all the time when we were dating, didn't we?"

"Oh yes. I remember when we went out to the old fishing hole to watch a lunar eclipse together," she smiled. "Too bad we could never do that again. It's a shame the pond's ruined."

"Oh, I know..." Ralph agreed with his wife. "We'll never get those days back..."

"Say, Ralph, which star is that?" she said, pointing up to a bright star in the sky.

"That's Betelgeuse, a star in the constellation Orion," Ralph quickly informed her, as he used to be a bit of an amateur astrologer back in his youth. "It's the eighth brightest star in our night sky."

"Hmm, I'm guessing those stars must be Rigel, Aldebaran, Sirius, and Procyon, right?" Melissa asked as she pointed to a few more bright stars in that region of the sky.

"Yeah, you're right," Ralph replied. "You have a pretty good eye, you know?"

"Ralph...have you ever wondered if there's life out there besides us here on Earth?" Melissa randomly asked.

"Like I know," Ralph shrugged. "I don't believe so, but who really knows?" Ralph had something on his mind he wanted to share with his wife. He had made his decision today during their camping trip on whether or not the two of them should have children, and he felt now would be a perfect time to tell her about this... "Melissa, I have something I'd really like to discuss with you that's kind of important."

"Well, what is it, Ralph?" But deep down, Melissa had a bad feeling what he was about to tell her. "_Oh no. He's about to tell me he's decided that we are not going to have children...I knew this would have to come sooner or later..._"

"It concerns this whole issue of us having children," Ralph told her, "I've made up my mind regarding this matter."

"_I knew it; he doesn't want to have children..."_ Melissa thought as her facial expression sank. "Ralph, I know you've had to think long and hard about this, and...and...I understand. You don't want children," she heavily sighed. "I know I told you I really would love to have them, but I understand you don't feel the same way about this. I wish you'd think differently, but I can't make you change your mind...I guess I'm just going to have accept the fact that unlike Sophia, I will never get to have a child of my own..." she sadly finished as she hung her head down. She could practically feel her heart beginning to break right then and there...

But what Ralph told her next surprised her greatly. "But Melissa," he said in a very calm, almost soothing voice, "I have thought a lot about this, and...I think we should have children, honey," he smiled at her.

Melissa couldn't believe what she had just heard him tell her. She thought she misheard him at first. "Ralph...did you really just say you thought we should have children?" she hopefully asked, hoping she had heard him correctly.

"I did," Ralph nodded, "as I've said, I thought about it and I've realized you're right. Maybe this will be a truly wonderful experience for the two of us."

Melissa could feel her heart filling up with joy upon hearing those words. "_Ralph actually changed his mind...?_" she quickly realized. "_I...I don't believe it! He changed his mind!_" she excitedly thought. "Ralph...do you really mean that?"

"I sure do. I think we should definitely try to have a baby," Ralph smiled cheerfully at her.

The next thing he knew, Ralph found his wife pulling him into probably the tightest hug she had ever given him. It was hard enough to actually hurt his ribs a bit. "Oh, Ralph!" Melissa happily exclaimed as she loosened her grip on him a bit. Ralph could see her sapphire eyes were filled with tears again, but they were tears of a different kind. These were happy tears; tears of joy. "Ralph...I...I'm speechless!" she happily cried. "This is wonderful...I don't know what to say!"

"It wasn't the easiest decision, but to me, it felt like the right one," Ralph smiled.

Ralph then proceeded to find himself on the receiving end of a big smooch from an overjoyed Melissa. "Ralph...thank you..." she smiled. "Thank you! But..." she began to wonder, "what was it that made you change your mind? When I first discussed this with you back in March, you were really scared and nervous about the whole idea. What made you change your mind?"

"Melissa..." Ralph began, "I must admit...I have been really selfish throughout our marriage. I might as well come clean. Throughout the whole time I've known you, I've always put my career before your happiness, and...I've realized that it should be the other way around. I hope you're not mad at me admitting that..." Ralph worriedly said.

"Well, I always _have _suspected that," Melissa scowled, but her facial expression quickly turned back to an ecstatic one, "but no, I'm not mad at you. I know you always have loved your job as the editor a lot..."

"I think that should change, though," Ralph answered her. "I have been putting it ahead of your happiness ever since even before we were married. Do you remember the Valentine's Dance all those years ago?"

"Oh yes...I couldn't forget that so easily. You blew me off completely. You really are lucky I forgave you for that; but I did because, well, I loved you Ralph. No matter what, I'll love you forever and always, sweetie," she smiled at him.

"I know that, but I realized my selfishness almost cost me a chance with you in the first place. Now here I am almost letting it getting in the way of us having children. I haven't changed much in the past fourteen years," Ralph sighed. "We haven't had children to this date because we let our careers get in the way first. If I hadn't been so dedicated to my job, I am pretty confident you and I would have had a kid by now. Probably a couple, actually."

"Well, what's in the past is in the past, Ralph," Melissa replied.

"I know, but...Melissa, you are the most wonderful woman I have ever known in my life. I never thought I would be so lucky as to marry someone that made me feel as special as you have," he smiled. "I know you would be a great mother if you had the chance, and it would be wrong of me to deny you that opportunity."

"Ralph, I'm touched, but you shouldn't be doing this all for me. I want to be sure that you actually want to have children yourself before we start trying to have one. I remember you also were uncomfortable with the thought of me carrying a child and you didn't feel you would make a good father," Melissa responded.

Ralph cleared his throat again. "I have thought about it, and...I think I finally saw the positives in having children. Maybe you being pregnant won't be as bad an experience as I made it out to be. It wouldn't be easy, that's for sure, but at least we'll go through it together," he lightly smiled.

"See, Ralph? It's just like I said. We're a team, and I do believe we can get through any situation as long as we do it together. I think we really make a great team and I am certain we can handle this," she grinned.

"I think so, too," Ralph agreed with his wife. "And who knows? I'll admit, I probably haven't been the best husband I could be, and maybe I might not make a good father. But maybe I will. I won't know unless I get the opportunity to find out...and I'd like that opportunity."

"Well, I should definitely say I think you have been a good husband, Ralph. Maybe not the world's greatest, like I once said, but you're more than good enough for me. If I didn't think you were, do you think I'd be here with you right now celebrating the twelfth anniversary of our marriage? There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you, dear. You've given me all the love, support, and care I could ever ask for; and I'm really grateful for that. I'm glad I married you," she smiled as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well, I probably am a better husband than I give myself credit for, though I think I could be a better one than I am," Ralph said as he scratched the back of his head.

"You do a good enough job, Ralph. I am positive that will translate into you being a good father to a child of ours."

"I'd like to hope so. Heh," Ralph chuckled to himself, "knowing me, I probably have a book or two about being a good father lying around that I bought years ago and have never read."

Melissa had to laugh as well. "I wouldn't be surprised! Ralph, I love you, but you have _got_ to be the biggest nerd I have ever known in my life. You have a book for just about everything!"

"True, but I'm your big nerd, right?" he winked.

"Of course you are," Melissa smiled at him. "You're my big nerd, alright, and you always will be. But I'm sure you won't need a book for that. You'll learn as you go, honey," she smiled.

"I'm sure. You know, maybe one day, our kid might take over the _Evergreen Standard _one day?"

"I bet it was that that made you change your mind on this subject," Melissa teased her husband.

"Well, no, but it definitely gave me a warm feeling inside. I'd like to think our kid might look up to us," he smiled.

"I'm sure they will," Melissa smiled back.

"Melissa, what do you think our chances of actually conceiving are? I'm just curious," Ralph asked her.

"Well, unless something's wrong with one of us, I think they should be quite good. I think if we try right now, there's a very good chance we'll be able to conceive within a year or two. I couldn't give you an exact figure, but I think the number is pretty high. That's exactly why I wanted us to try now. If we wait a few more years, our chances are going to plummet rapidly until we won't have a chance at all."

"I'd hate to see how depressed you would be if you missed the chance," Ralph replied.

"I'd probably get over it eventually, but I'd always feel unfulfilled..." Melissa answered him. "Maybe we should check with our doctor to find out whether we're fertile or not?"

"Ugh, I hate the doctor..." Ralph groaned. "But you're right. It would be pretty bad for us to try to conceive and then it turns out we can't because one of us is infertile."

"I'm sure everything'll be okay, though," Melissa smiled.

"I sure do hope so. You know, Melissa, I think we might actually have some advantages in having a kid now over having one when we were newlyweds," he grinned.

"Maybe you're right," his wife nodded. "We're a lot older and wiser than we were back then. I think we would have had a hell of a time with a child in tow back then," she chuckled.

"Yeah, and our careers are probably as stable as they'll ever be," Ralph added, "I think we should definitely be financially secure enough to be able to afford to raise a baby together."

"Well, if all goes well. And we know each other very well, too. We've been married long enough where we pretty much know everything about each other inside and out. A lot of young couples having kids don't really know each other as well as they think they do. That's probably why I've gotten a lot of letters from young married men and women for my advice column saying their wife or husband is not quite the person they thought they were," Melissa stated.

"Very true," Ralph nodded. "Melissa...I know besides being our anniversary, tomorrow is also Mother's Day this year."

"I know that, I checked the calendar."

"And I know that's why I found you crying in the _Standard_'s dark room the other day. You were crying because you felt you weren't ever going to get to be a mother yourself, weren't you?" Ralph interrogated her.

"Yeah..." Melissa admitted. "I feel a little silly for crying like that. But I was pretty confident you were going to say no to this whole idea."

"Well, Melissa, I promise you, you _will_ get to celebrate Mother's Day soon enough. You'll get to know what it's like to be a mom, I promise," he confidently told her.

"I have faith that I will," she replied.

"In fact," Ralph said, feeling a little bold in saying this, "I believe it's going to be a _lot_ sooner than you think. I bet you by this time next year, the very next Mother's Day after this one, you're either going to have a little one back home at the Raccoondominium, or you're going to be expecting to have one by then. Matter of fact, I have a feeling you'll be expecting before this year is over."

Melissa had to admit, that was pretty bold of Ralph to say. But if Ralph was confident the two of them could successfully conceive within less than a year's time, she felt she could believe him. She wanted to believe Ralph would be proven right. The sooner, the better, she felt. "I can hardly wait, dear," Melissa cheerfully smiled.

"Me neither," Ralph smiled, with a gleam in his eye, as the couple held one another in a loving embrace. Both of them were feeling excited about what could very likely happen in the next twelve months...the fact that a baby could very well be in the cards for them.

They didn't know it wouldn't be quite as easy for them as they thought it would be...

**END CHAPTER SIX**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Well! That was a pretty long chapter. But I felt I needed to put all of that in there. I would rather cram all of this into one chapter than spread it out over several because that's how my writing style is. I can't really write short, quick chapters. I like to lump everything I can that can fit into one chapter. I could have dragged Ralph making up his mind on whether he and Melissa should have children or not, but I didn't really want to since this story isn't going to be a very long one (chapter-wise...word-wise this is probably going to be close to "Story of Ralph" in length), having only 12, maybe 13 chapters if I feel I need 13. This story has been pretty slow-paced so far, but once I hit the second half it's going to speed up in its pacing quite a bit...hope no one minds.

What do you think of me including a small slightly re-written excerpt from Chapter 10 of "Story of Ralph" in this chapter? Nice to see that story again, isn't it? I'm hoping this story will end up being better than it, and so far I think it is. I thought this was a very appropriate part to put in. It's definitely a wake-up call for Ralph to realize that he truly is being selfish in even beginning to consider putting his job over his wife, the woman he promised to love, honor, and protect, and her happiness. It really shows him what his attachment to his career almost cost him in the past and it definitely causes him to realize what he might miss out on now because of it.

I thought it was a good idea for Ralph to go to his mother for help in making the right decision. You really get the feeling Ralph is a bit of a "mama's boy", heheh, even if he seems embarrassed by her showing him affection publicly. Hey, yours truly happens to be a "mama's boy", as well. No shame in that. Every boy should love their mother unless she was abusive, lacked interest in them, or just plain abandoned them.

Bert playing a "Gamedude"...of course that's a cheap knockoff of a Gameboy. I mean, c'mon, let's face it. Bert pretty much is the boy who never quite grew up. He would definitely be playing video games well into his 30s. Give him a few more years and I could realistically see Bert playing Pokemon Red, Blue, or Yellow. Wario Land is one of my favorite games ever. I will always stand by the opinion that Wario is superior to Mario, and that opinion might be a very controversial one. I like not having to save a princess. I hate to say it, but I am not a hero. I could never do that kind of work. I couldn't go around saving people and protecting worlds. It's too much of a responsibility. Collecting all the money in the world to better yourself, now THAT sounds like a lot more fun to me. Bert dying over and over again in Stove Canyon...Stove Canyon is one of the worlds in the game (there are seven, Rice Beach, Mt. Teapot, the hidden Sherbet Land, Stove Canyon, the S. S. Teacup, Parsley Woods, and Syrup Castle). It's a lava world, and the first level of this world...I **_REALLY_** hate this level a lot. The whole time you move throughout the main part of the level, lava is constantly chasing you. You have to keep running or else it will catch you and you will be burnt to ashes by the lava. At some parts, however, you have to run towards the lava and then back away from it, and at one point when you do this, there is a key in an item box to open a treasure chest in the game that contains a rare treasure worth a lot of coins (there are fifteen of these in the game and some are very well hidden; a few are in hidden stages you have to find secret stage exits to get to. You don't need to collect all of them...hell, you could beat the game without collecting _any_ of them, but you will get a very bad score and a really crummy house if you don't collect any). Wouldn't you know it, if you're not fast enough you're not going to have time to hit the box and jump on it to get the key. I died about fifteen or so times when I first got to this level because the lava kept catching up to me before I could get the damn key. I hate levels in video games where something is chasing you the whole way through. The potential for failure in those levels is great.

And Bert now has that mysterious letter that is obviously from Maxie...and of course he thought Lisa wrote it. Well, now he knows someone out there is thinking about him, at least. Lisa, as you see, suspects Maxie might have written it, but she's not entirely sure. Her reaction to Bert and Maxie possibly ending up in a relationship is quite a contrast to her little brother's reaction to the idea: you'll remember back in Chapter Three Bentley thought the idea was gross (it nearly made him gag), while Lisa finds it cute.

Well, that was chapter six. Ralph has decided that he and Melissa should have children. Of course, deciding to have children is one thing; and actually being able to successfully conceive a child is another thing entirely. Next chapter, you'll see the two of them preparing as they begin to try to have children (including a trip to the doctor), while Bert has a discussion with Maxie about the mysterious letter, as she recognizes her own handwriting (uh oh...) As for whether Ralph's rather bold prediction that he and Melissa will conceive before the year is over? You'll just have to keep on reading to see if that actually happens or not.


	7. Chapter 7: Looking Forward

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, so far, this story has been very up and down emotionally, although so far it's been quite depressing. Melissa had been feeling depressed because she realized that she was approaching middle age and had yet to have any children, so she approached Ralph with the idea. Much to her disappointment, Ralph didn't feel as strongly as she did and thought they might be better off not having any children. But after a few months had gone by, Ralph had a discussion with his mother that led him to realize he was being selfish, and much to Melissa's delight, Ralph finally agreed with her that they should have children. Now, the two of them are preparing as they are planning to try to conceive. So far this has been a mostly unhappy story, but this chapter is by far the most light hearted one so far (it's even mildly comedic in places. Hell, it probably WILL be the most light hearted chapter in this story. You'll see Bert, Ralph, and Melissa discussing the future (and Bert dreaming about that silly novel of his), as well as Bert having a discussion with Maxie about that strange letter he got (that she wrote...) I should also say the last part of this chapter is kind of...well...naughty, heheh...and not _quite_ child-friendly, but then again, I highly doubt I have any children reading my stories anyways since I doubt most children under the age of 18 have ever even heard of this show (it's not as naughty as I _could_ make it though, I will never write anything M-rated). This is pretty much a bridging chapter, so it won't be the best one, but I still hope you enjoy this one.

Now without further adieu, let's dive into...

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Looking Forward**

It's a sunny summer morning in the Kingdom of Waterland. Today was a special day for the Kingdom-it was Princess Luna's 21st birthday. And today, Gardos the Magnificent, and his friends Blodwyn the grain merchant and his wife Alvara were heading to Procyon Castle as they had been invited by the King and Queen to the party.

Presently, the trio arrived at Procyon Castle, where they were greeted by the friendly looking ranger who guarded the front gate.

"HALT!" the ranger shouted to the trio. "Have you been invited by King and Queen Procyon to the Princess' birthday party?"

"We sure have," Blodwyn nodded. "Special request."

"Ah, very well," the ranger said as he opened the gate to the trio. "You may enter. Go inside and have a grand time. Myself? I'll just stay here and guard the gate...I just wish I got paid for this..."

But as the trio entered the gate to the castle, the ranger's face took on a more twisted, snarling appearance. "They don't know what's coming for them...it's only a matter of time before we, the servants, have our vengeance..." he snarled as he rubbed his paws together with glee.

Presently the trio reached the royal hall of Procyon Castle, where Gardos was greeted by his apprentice, Marcus, the young prince.

"Ah, Gardos! I'm so glad you could make it to my sister's party!" he smiled as he greeted his idol with a hug.

"It's a pleasure to be here," the wizard proudly smiled at his protege. "I just have one question for you."

"And what's that?"

"Where's your sister?" Gardos eagerly asked, hoping to see the princess, who happened to be the woman of his dreams.

"Oh brother..." Marcus muttered under his breath.

"Gardos, do you _really _think you stand a shot with Princess Luna?" Blodwyn informed his friend, trying to give him a bit of a reality check.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, she has many suitors from all across the land. They are all trying to win her paw in marriage as they all hope to rule this land someday. After all, not only she is the princess, she _is_ the next ruler of this country once King and Queen Procyon die," Blodwyn finished.

"Well, that's true, but none of them have been good enough for her, as she has yet to accept any of them. That means _I've_ still got a chance!" Gardos gleefully exalted.

"I don't think princesses are very fond of magici-" Alvara shushed her husband.

"Oh, come on, Blodwyn, do you _have_ to shatter his hopes and dreams?" she scowled at him.

"Sorry..." Blodwyn meekly responded.

At that moment, King and Queen Procyon stood before the subjects of the kingdom. "Silence in the royal hall, everyone!" the King shouted to the unruly subjects. "Now, as I am certain you all know, I have gathered all of you, my loyal subjects, here today as today is my daughter Princess Luna's twenty-first birthday."

"And now, presenting the birthday girl herself," the Queen announced to the crowd, "Princess Luna!" The Princess entered the royal hall as the crowd applauded her.

Gardos was mesmerized. "Princess...Luna..." he vacantly said, his eyes practically turning into hearts.

"Oh geez...he's like a lovesick puppy..." Blodwyn shook his head.

"You were the same way when you met me," Alvara smiled.

"Oh, don't remind me..." Blodwyn sighed.

Presently the subjects of the kingdom gave the Princess their gifts they had obtained for her. Before long, Princess Luna came upon the smitten magician.

"So, Gardos the Magnificent," she smiled at the rather goofy looking wizard, "I know you have been training my little brother in the ways of magic."

"Oh!" Gardos said, briefly snapping out of his trance. "Why, of course I have! He's getting better and better all the time."

"It's good to know," the princess smiled, "I'm sure he'll be a great wizard someday too. If he keeps practicing..."

"Here's hoping," Gardos said under his breath.

"So anyways, Gardos," the Princess said as she hurriedly changed the subject, "what did you get me? I imagine it's quite a gift considering you have magical powers..."

"I got it right here..." Gardos smiled. "Hold on a minute...Ala-ka-WHATZIT!" With that, a wart-covered toad appeared in Gardos' paw.

"Umm..." the Princess nervously replied, feeling a bit disgusted at the grotesqueness of the gift, "Gardos...I don't think I'm terribly fond of toads..."

"Erm, that was supposed to be the finest gem in all the kingdom..." Gardos answered, feeling embarrassed.

"A toad, Gardos? You gave her a toad?" Blodwyn incredulously shouted at him.

"Heheh...I sort of...messed up my spell..." Gardos shamefully replied. He couldn't really help himself. Being in the presence of the Princess made his mind go blank. He wasn't thinking properly.

Just as he was about to change the toad into a gemstone, a loud noise came from the front door of Procyon Castle.

"What was that?" the Princess said, alarmed.

Queen Procyon walked to the window and looked down at the front door of the castle. "Oh my! The servants have gathered together and they're attacking the front door with a huge battering ram! I think they're trying to break in the front door!"

"You _thi__nk?_" King Procyon sarcastically shot back.

"This is no time for sarcasm! They're being led by our royal adviser Sneerius! This is an emergency! Everyone, hide if you can!" the Queen alerted the guests.

"Where are we going to hide?" Blodwyn said, alarmed and feeling scared. He didn't know where he could hide.

"We'll hide under the table," Alvara said as she and Blodwyn dove under the table, unable to think of a better hiding place.

The booming from the front door grew louder, and louder...

Bert awoke from his slumber as a knock on the front door sounded throughout the Raccoondominium. He'd been dreaming about the latest chapter of his novel, which he was currently in the process of trying to write. It's a Monday morning in the Evergreen Forest, and Bert had slept in a little late; it was almost noon.

"Huh..." Bert said as he stretched his arms and extricated himself from the couch where he had been sleeping. "That's gotta be Ralphie boy and Melissa. They must be back from their little camping trip..." he yawned as he opened the front door.

Sure enough, it was Ralph and Melissa. They looked rather...happy about something. "Hi, Bert," Ralph smiled at him as the couple entered their house.

"Ah, hello you two," Bert grinned back.

"I see everything looks okay around here," Melissa said as she and Ralph placed their backpacks down in front of the couch. "We were a little worried we'd come home to Tornado Alley," she chuckled.

"Nah!" Bert scoffed. "See! I told you I can look after the house just fine by myself! Although, I didn't really like it that much," he admitted. "It's kinda lonely here when no one's around, ya know..."

Melissa nodded; she knew Bert wasn't tremendously fond of being alone. "We understand Bert, but we were only gone for a couple of days."

"How'd your trip go, anyways?" Bert curiously asked.

"Ah, we had a good time," Ralph smiled. "It was a nice way to spend our anniversary together. Although I ended up falling out of the boat once..." he admitted, feeling more than a little embarrassed to admit his clumsiness.

"You stood up in the boat again, didn't you?" Bert laughed. He knew Ralph could be a bit clueless when it came to the rules of the outdoors. It seemed so ironic Ralph considered himself an environmentalist, considering sometimes he didn't seem to know a whole lot about the actual environment...

"Oh yeah..." Ralph nodded.

"But it was alright. We still had a good time...celebrating our anniversary, in a certain sense..." Melissa winked at her husband. Ralph knew what she meant; he had greatly surprised Melissa by romancing her while they had set up camp for the night. The two of them had made love out in the wilderness under the moonlight. It had been a huge surprise to Melissa; Ralph had always been a little reluctant in bed, certainly not adventurous. They had never done anything like that before. But Ralph had told her that had long been a fantasy of his, and she was only too happy to make it become a reality. Over the past few months, their romantic life had suffered due to Melissa feeling depressed and Ralph feeling unsure on whether or not they should have children. It had to have been over a month since they had shared a special moment together; that had been far too long for the two of them...

"I...see," Bert responded. "Well, I'm glad you two had a good time."

"Bert," Melissa said, "we have something we'd like to tell you," she smiled cheerfully. A smile crept across Ralph's face as well.

"What would that be?" Bert wondered.

"Bert," Ralph grinned, "Melissa and I have decided we are going to have children."

"You mean you actually made up your mind?" Bert answered him.

"He sure did," Melissa grinned as she placed her arm around her husband. "He decided to give having children a chance, after all!"

"Well, that's great, Ralphie boy!" Bert said, slapping his old friend on the back.

"Hey, don't do that!" Ralph groaned.

"Heheh, sorry. So, what made you change your mind? I remember you sounded so against the whole idea. Now you want to give it a chance. How'd you change your mind?"

"I talked to my mother," Ralph informed Bert, "and she reminded me that I've been selfish all these years. I've put the _Standard_ above Melissa's happiness, and that's not the way it should be."

"I've always thought you were too attached to that job," Bert said. "I mean, it's great and all, but it's only just a job. Your job can never return the love you give it; but she can," Bert pointed at Melissa.

"Exactly," Ralph agreed.

"So, are you leaving the _Standard _or something?" Bert asked his friend.

"Leave the _Standard_?" Ralph looked perplexed as to why Bert would think he would leave his job. "No, I'd never leave the _Standard _in a million years. But it's no longer the most important thing in my life. My wife is," Ralph grinned as he hugged Melissa.

"If you asked me, I think you were fine the way you were, but if you think you need to make a change, it's perfectly fine with me," Melissa smiled at him.

"I promise I'll devote more time to you, honey," Ralph smiled back. "Bert, Melissa and I are going to make a stop by the hospital this week to find out whether or not the two of us are fertile. We need to know that before we can start trying to have children."

"Good idea," Bert agreed. "That would really be awful for you to try and try and then find out you can't even have children in the first place, wouldn't it?"

"Would it ever!" Ralph laughed. "I really hope that's not the case..."

"I just hope you know what you're in for at the doctor's, though..." Bert snickered.

"What am I in for...?" Ralph was confused.

"You'll see..." Bert snickered again.

That made Ralph feel quite uncomfortable, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"I'm sure we're both fertile," Melissa smiled. "I'm sure everything's going to turn out alright. You watch, Bert. Sooner than you know it, I have a good feeling we'll be having a new arrival here at the Raccoondominium." Bert could tell Melissa felt quite optimistic.

"Ah, I can't wait," Bert grinned. Bert had always loved children, and he could hardly wait to have a new friend to play with at home. "What do you think you two'll end up having, Ralphie boy?"

"Well, if you asked me," Ralph mused, "I wouldn't really care if we had a son or a daughter. But I think I'd like to have a son a little more than a daughter. I'd hope he would grow up to be a good man, and maybe take over the _Standard_ someday when Melissa and I are old and gray...I mean, grayer than usual," he chuckled.

"I'd love to have a son as well," Melissa agreed with her husband. "I've seen the bond your mother has with you, Ralph, and I would love to have a bond like that. From what I've seen the bond between a mother and son is one of the strongest there is. Although I wouldn't mind if I had a daughter, though. I'd just like the chance to have a child of my own."

"Bentley and I would love to have a new 'little buddy' as well," Bert agreed with his housemates. "That'd be a new friend to play with! I'd love to play with your kid. I would like to have kids myself, but...unless I can actually find a girlfriend someday, I don't think that's going to happen..." he sighed.

"Well, you could adopt a child if you wanted one," Melissa informed him.

"Yeah..." Bert lowly said. "No need to worry about that though! I got things I want to do today!" With that, Bert went rushing off the front door and grabbed his fishing pole.

"Wonder where he's off to in such a hurry?" Melissa wondered.

* * *

><p>A week-and-a-half has passed in the Evergreen Forest. Today, Ralph and Melissa Raccoon are at Willow's Store, grocery shopping together. Both of them are feeling excited about their possible future.<p>

"Huh, you know, it's funny, Melissa," Ralph said as he grabbed some oranges off one of the shelves and placed them in their grocery basket. "You normally don't like to go shopping."

"I know, that pretty much makes me an oddball among women," she chuckled. "But there's something here I wanted to see if they had."

"What could that be?" Ralph wondered.

"We'll see when we get there," Melissa said as she placed a box of "Peanut Butter Crisp Cereal" for Bert in the basket. Bert had not accompanied them on their shopping trip; he had gone fishing with Cedric. Ralph had taken the day off from the _Standard_ as he had a bit of a special night planned for his wife tonight...

"So, Ralph," Melissa struck up another conversation with her husband, "our trip to the doctor's was pretty uneventful."

"I wouldn't say _that_..." Ralph said as he remembered their visit to Evergreen Hospital a few days ago...

Ralph and Melissa were sitting in the waiting room together, waiting for the doctor to call them for their appointment they had scheduled. In the past few months, Dr. Canard had decided to retire early and a new doctor had been called in to take his place on the hospital staff. They had yet to meet the new doctor, so they were curious about who they were in for...

Presently a large red rooster walked into the waiting room. "Ralph and Melissa Raccoon?" he said.

"That's us," Melissa said as they followed the rooster into the doctor's office and sat down before him.

"Ah, so you must be the editor and photographer for the _Evergreen Standard_," the rooster grinned at them from behind his desk. "I've read about you in the paper. I'm Dr. Kenneth Hensley, the new doctor here."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Hensley," Melissa smiled. "What brought you here to the Evergreen Forest?"

"Well, I used to live in Winnipeg, but the hospital I worked at cut some of the staff. I happened to get cut. So I decided I'd move my family out to the country and I took a job here seeing as there was an opening," Dr. Hensley explained, as he twiddled with the eraser of one of his pencils.

"Well, it's always nice to see a new face here in the Forest," Ralph forced a grin. He wasn't too excited as he wasn't fond of going to the doctor's anyways, and something about Dr. Hensley didn't feel quite right to him...

"Ah. So, what are you two here for?" the doctor asked. He seemed a little...absent-minded and forgetful to them.

"My husband and I have decided we want to have children," Melissa informed the doctor. "We've been married twelve years and we have decided we would like to have children since time is sort of running out on us. We wanted to check to see whether or not we're fertile."

"Ah, so you two are trying to have children," Dr. Hensley nodded. "I have two kids back at home now. They're enrolled at Evergreen Elementary. How old are you two?"

"I'm thirty-four and she's thirty-five. She'll be thirty-six come this November," Ralph answered the doctor.

"Ah, you two are starting to get up there in years. It's definitely a good idea to try now before the clock runs out," he chuckled. "Well, we'll need to perform a few tests," Dr. Hensley informed the couple.

"Okay," Melissa nodded.

"Mr. Raccoon," Dr. Hensley glanced at Ralph, "I'd like you to follow me to another room. We'll need to collect a sample from you."

Ralph looked confused. "A sample...?"

"Well, how else are we going to determine whether or not you're fertile? We're not magicians," Dr. Hensley laughed.

Ralph immediately felt highly embarrassed. He didn't know he was in for this. "Oh...oh dear..." Ralph moaned as his face flushed. "Doc...isn't there some other way you can do this? I don't feel comfortable...you know...in public..."

"Oh come on, Ralph," Melissa tried to reassure him. "You want to know if you're fertile, right?"

"Right..." Ralph said, still feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," she said, trying to encourage him.

"Come follow me, Mr. Raccoon," Dr. Hensley said as he stood at the door, gesturing for Ralph to follow him...

In the present day, Ralph winced just _thinking_ about what he had to do at the hospital. "Melissa..." he said to his wife, "I would really, _really_ appreciate it if you agreed with me that we should never discuss what happened at the hospital..._ever again_."

"I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad, Ralph," she shrugged. "I had to go through more than you did, after all!"

"Yes, but...I'm really uncomfortable talking about that," Ralph informed her.

"Well, think on the bright side, Ralph. Your sperm count is healthy for a man your age. Plus, I checked out okay as well. They determined we can try to have a child if we want to," she smiled at her husband.

"That is good, but...I think this is a conversation that would be best saved for home," Ralph muttered. "Not exactly appropriate for a store."

"You're right," Melissa agreed. "Sorry about that. Still, I'm glad they told us our chances are still pretty good."

"Yeah," Ralph agreed. "What did they say our chances were? I can't remember the number..."

"If I remember right they said we have about a seventy percent chance of conceiving within a year. I think that's a good number. We have about a two in three chance of success. Not to mention, Dr. Hensley said he's seen quite a few women my age successfully get pregnant and have babies. I think we'll be able to do it," Melissa smiled.

"If everything goes well," Ralph nodded. "Let's just hope we're not that one out of three..."

"I'm sure we're not," Melissa replied.

Presently, the couple came across the next aisle of the fairly small store.

Ralph immediately groaned. "Oh, not this aisle..." he pathetically moaned. This aisle contained most of the feminine products.

"Oh, come on Ralph!" Melissa laughed at her husband. "It's not _that_ bad, now."

"I usually try to stay away from this aisle if I can," Ralph admitted.

"Well, I think what I'm looking for might be here..." she said as she looked on the aisle shelves. "Hmm...let's see...ah, here it is!" Melissa remarked as she took a box off the shelf.

"What do you have there?" Ralph asked.

"What are we trying to do, Ralph?" Melissa asked.

"Trying to conceive," Ralph quickly responded to his wife's question.

"Well, Ralph, I've been wondering if they had these, and sure enough they do!"

Ralph took a look at the box she was holding. "Home pregnancy tests?"

"That's what they are," Melissa nodded. "Times have changed a lot, Ralph. You used to have to go to the doctor to determine whether or not you were pregnant. But now, you can determine it right from your own home!"

"I know what a pregnancy test is, Melissa," Ralph replied, feeling a little bit agitated. "Are you sure we should actually buy these, though?"

"I think it's a good idea," his wife grinned. "We can find out if I'm expecting right at home at the Raccoondominium. It's very simple to use if you follow the instructions."

"Not that I like Dr. Hensley much, but I think we'd probably be best checking at the hospital to find that out," Ralph disagreed. "I don't think I trust those very much."

"I've heard they're quite accurate if you use them correctly," Melissa informed him.

"Well...alright," Ralph sighed. "Let's buy the home pregnancy tests then..." he shrugged as Melissa placed the box in their basket.

As they were heading for the counter to pay for their items, Melissa bumped into another woman, causing her basket to spill most of their items onto the store's floor.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," the other woman said. "I didn't see you two coming...Well, if it isn't Melissa Raccoon!" That voice was all too familiar...

"Sophia Sneer? What are you doing here?" Ralph asked. Sure enough, it was Sophia standing before them.

"I was just here buying a few groceries. I'm sorry about the mess I caused. I should have been more careful," she admitted.

"It's okay, I'm not mad," Melissa said as she stooped down to pick up their items. Sophia took a look at the box Melissa was picking up.

"Are those...pregnancy tests?" Sophia asked.

Melissa happily nodded. "Have you heard? Ralph and I have decided we're going to try to have a baby!"

"Ah, I remember Cedric said you wanted to have children and that Ralph didn't seem too sure; but that's wonderful, you two!" Sophia beamed. "I think it would be wonderful if our children got to grow up together."

"How've you been holding up the past few months, Sophia?" Ralph asked. "It's been a while since we've seen you last."

"Oh, I've been doing fine," she replied, "I'm about four months along now. I'm looking forward to the day our baby's finally born."

"I can see you're starting to show," Melissa noted. Sure enough, Sophia's belly was noticeably starting to protrude.

"Well, I've gained almost ten pounds already; and I still have quite a bit more to go. I've been eating a _lot_ lately. I've been especially craving shrimp lately. I was just here looking to see if they had any," Sophia chuckled.

"I guess I know what I'm in for once we're expecting," Melissa lightly smiled. She knew beyond a doubt she would be very happy once she hopefully did get pregnant, but the fact that she would have to carry around her and Ralph's baby for nine months still didn't seem all that fun to Melissa.

"Don't worry, honey," Ralph said, cracking a smile. "I'll help you every step of the way. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"I'm grateful for that," Melissa smiled back, as she found it more than a little reassuring that Ralph was willing to help make things easier for her. "It'll be nice to have someone help me out during those nine months."

"How long have you two been trying?" Sophia curiously asked.

"We're just starting right now," Ralph responded.

"We're hoping we can conceive soon since time is starting to run out on us," Melissa added.

"Well, better late than never, right?" Sophia laughed.

"Yeah," Melissa agreed.

"I always did wonder why you two never had children. I thought something was up there. But, I'm glad to hear you two have decided to have children!"

"We kind of let our careers get in the way first..." Ralph sheepishly answered her.

"Well, at least you'll get the chance. You _can_ beat your biological clock, Melissa! I think you two can do it!" the aardvark excitedly said.

"_Sophia is probably one of the most easily excitable people I've ever known..._" Ralph thought to himself. Sophia was a friend of his, but she wasn't his _most_ favorite person in the world. In some ways, she reminded him a little bit of Bert...

"I sure hope we can. The doctor said our chances are pretty good," Melissa smiled.

"How's Cedric holding up, anyways?" Ralph asked. He knew Cedric was off fishing with Bert today. Between his wife being pregnant and his job running Sneer Enterprises, Cedric hadn't had much time to hang out with his friends lately.

"He's doing a good job helping me out, although he is still a bit nervous. We didn't exactly plan for this to happen, after all. He's having a few anxiety issues," the aardvark admitted.

"I'm sure he'll get through it alright," Melissa replied.

"I'm sure, too. Cedric recently enrolled in a course where they teach the basics of fatherhood. They're currently teaching him how to change diapers," Sophia chuckled to herself.

"Diapers...? Oh boy..." Ralph moaned. He'd never even thought about that up until this point. If they were to successfully conceive and have a baby, no doubt Ralph would have to change their child's diapers. That _certainly _didn't seem too pleasant an idea to him.

"Something wrong, Ralph?" Melissa asked him.

"Uh...I think I might want to take that course, myself. I'm sure I'd do alright as a father, but it might do me good to brush up on the basics," Ralph nervously chuckled.

"I don't think we should worry about that until I'm actually pregnant," Melissa rolled her eyes.

"Well, I think it's an idea to keep in mind." Ralph said. "Where do they meet?"

"They meet at the local gym. Well, it was nice seeing you two," Sophia said. "I see you two are ready to go and I don't think I should keep you two busy all day!"

"Yeah, we're about to go," Melissa nodded. "Ralph and I are having a special night tonight..."

"That sounds like it should be fun! Well, I'll be seeing you two around. Good luck!" she waved as she walked off.

"Goodness," Ralph said, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, Sophia's a nice woman, but she can be a _real_ chatterbox," he laughed. "No wonder she used to write a social gossip column for the _Standard_!"

* * *

><p>It's about five o'clock in the Evergreen Forest, and most of the Forest's denizens are busy around their homes, most of them preparing for their dinner. But one female raccoon was not...<p>

Maxie Ringtail was sitting at the kitchen table in her small home. Today had been another typical boring day around the house. She had spent most of today dusting. Some people who knew her thought she was addicted to housework, but in truth, Maxie hated it _very_ much. This had been her life for many years, and she was growing fed up with it. She was longing for a change...

Which was probably why she found herself sitting here at her kitchen table skimming through a book. Maxie still longed to have Bert in her life, but as long as he was attracted to Lisa, there was little chance of that actually happening. She had recently sent him a letter that had took her a few months to properly think how to write it. She had told him of her feelings for him but had left it anonymous. "_I wonder what he thought of it..._" Maxie quickly thought to herself. "_Oh, he probably thought Lisa wrote it..._" she sighed as she glanced back at the book. A part of her hoped maybe she could impress him and make him find something attractive about her, but she just didn't know _what_ she could do. "_I can't count on my looks_, _that's for sure,_" she sadly thought. Maxie had _once _been fairly attractive when she was a teenager, as she had once been on her high school's cheerleading squad. But having Annie at such a young age and living a hard life the past twenty years had worn her down. She knew she was nothing more than average; there was nothing that really made her stand out. "_I never even lost all the weight I put on from being pregnant with Annie_," she mused, "_and to top it all off I still have stretch marks from back then._" Lisa had the looks of a model and she did not. Lisa had told Maxie that she had been ogled by many men in high school and in college; she couldn't blame Bert for being attracted to her. A majority of single men and probably even a few married men around the Forest thought she was attractive. The only way Maxie could ever hope to look like that would be to go under the knife. "_But I could never do that. I don't have that kind of money, and besides, I don't think that would be a good plan to impress __Bert. I don't think he would like that..._"

Maxie knew she couldn't count on her looks to attract Bert; so she would have to depend on her personality. "_What's on the inside counts more than what's on the outside, right?_" she thought. But then again, she realized that even _there_ she couldn't compare with Lisa. Lisa was very confident in herself as she had been a highly successful high school athlete and she was enjoying her teaching career working at Evergreen Elementary. Maxie, on the other hand, had very little confidence in herself. So many times over the years, she had been rejected by men who had shown a bit of interest in her. She knew having a child in tow was a pretty good way to repel men, but her friend Melissa had also informed her that her lack of confidence probably didn't help her much either.

So here she was, reading a book that she had borrowed from Melissa. It was a book her husband Ralph had when he was younger: "_Fifteen Easy Steps To Building Self-Confidence For Dummies_." It wasn't a very thick book, but Maxie was just skimming through the pages. She wanted to be more confident as she hoped maybe that would get Bert's attention, but she didn't know if a _book_ was the right place to go. "_I feel so silly reading __this..._"

At that moment, Maxie was interrupted from her reading by the sound of the front door opening. Maxie quickly placed the book in her lap and scooted forward in her chair; as she felt she would be embarrassed to be discovered reading a self-confidence book. "Who is it?" Maxie asked.

"It's me, Mom," a familiar voice said. It was Annie, her teenaged daughter. Maxie had been wondering where she was as she was supposed to be home from school a couple of hours previously. "Where have you been, Annie? You were supposed to be home hours ago," Maxie frowned.

"Oh, uh..." Annie said as she struggled to find the right words, "Bentley and I were just at the local library. We were looking up some information for a school report we had on Canadian history."

"Hmm..." Maxie said. "Annie, I think we need to start thinking about college. Next year is your last year in high school and then it's off to college. You need to be thinking about what you want to do with your life. Hopefully, you'll turn out better than me..."

"Well, Mom," Annie replied, "I've been thinking about it, and I think I'd like to study journalism. I think I would like to work at the _Evergreen Standard_ someday."

"You want to work for the _Standard_?" Maxie asked. "Well, that's certainly a good job."

"I know. I've been thinking about working there this summer. You know, learning the ropes from Ralph and Melissa. And Bert too," Annie smiled.

"They're probably the best people you could learn from," Maxie agreed.

"Well, after all, they all are proud alumni of Evergreen University."

"You're going there, right?" Maxie asked her daughter.

"Yes, Mom. I don't think I want to go too far from home. I won't stay here with you forever, but I'd still like to stay here in the Forest. I've lived most of my life here anyways. What can I say? When you live here long enough, you _really_ get attached to the place," Annie nodded.

"I'm sure you would make a good journalist..."

"Say, Mom. What's that you've got under the table?" Annie asked her mother, noticing she was hiding something under the table.

"Oh!" Maxie was surprised. "Uh...nothing. I'm not hiding anything."

"There's something in your lap," Annie noted. "I can see it. It looks like a book of some kind..."

"Alright..." Maxie said as her face glowed red. She didn't want her daughter to know she was trying to improve her self-confidence. But she obliged and produced the book.

"_'Fifteen Easy Steps To Building Self-Confidence For Dummies',_" Annie read the title of the book. "Ah, Mom. It's nothing to be ashamed of. No offense, but you _could _be a little more confident in yourself. You always seem to be so negative and down upon yourself. That might be part of why you're still alone."

"Well, Melissa loaned that book to me," Maxie informed her daughter.

"That was nice of her to do...as I see you're trying to impress Bert," Annie grinned at her mother.

"Bert? Why would I want to impress Bert?" Maxie had never told her daughter she had a crush on Bert. That had partly been because Annie was rather close to Bert and she feared that her daughter might not be able to keep it a secret.

"Because you like him, Mom," Annie continued to grin.

"Well, of course I do. Bert is my friend, after all."

"But you like him _more_ than as a friend," Annie said as her grin grew bigger.

"I don't know where you got that idea..." Maxie shrugged, feigning ignorance.

"I've heard you pining for him a few times. You talk about him constantly, and besides, I saw that letter you wrote to him," Annie replied.

"Oh..." Maxie blushed. "I really made it _that_ obvious, didn't I?"

"Pretty much. Did you honestly think I wouldn't be able to figure it out on my own? "

"I should have figured...But, it's true, I do like Bert...a lot. I just wish he'd look past Lisa and see me...but then again, what do I have to provide him? I'm not beautiful. And I don't have that great of a personality..." Maxie lamented.

"You have a good heart, Mom, and that's a good place to start," Annie smiled. "You might stand a chance with him yet..."

"I just don't know..." Maxie sighed as another knock came from the front door. "Hang on, Annie, I'll go get that."

Maxie opened the front door to find none other than the silly grin of the man she loved, Bert Raccoon. "Hey there, Max," Bert smiled at her.

"Ah, hello there Bert!" Maxie said, her voice becoming more cheerful. She always brightened up whenever he visited. "Come in, come in. It's nice to have your company." It had been a few weeks since she had seen him last, but she was glad he was here in her home now.

"I just figured I'd drop by and talk for a bit," Bert said as he and Maxie sat down at the table together. "Oh, hey there, Annie," Bert grinned.

"Good to see you, Bert," Annie smiled back. "How's the novel coming along? It's been a while since I've helped you out with it."

"Oh, it's coming along great," Bert laughed. "I'm about five chapters in out of sixty. It looks pretty good so far. Boy, this is going to take longer than I thought, though!"

"Speaking of that, Bert," Maxie said as she thumbed through some papers and pulled out a piece of construction paper, "I drew two of those characters you wanted me to draw. Rabbit-Foot and Toby-Time." Maxie had to admit; she was a bit confused by some of the names Bert chose for his characters; these two characters' names sounded more like the name of a bad cartoon show. Rabbit-Foot and Toby-Time were a pair of hermits Gardos and Marcus were supposed to encounter in the middle of a vast desert, which seemed odd since the story was taking place in a kingdom called _Waterland_. But then again, she had learned not to question Bert's imagination...

"Wow," Bert said, taking a look at her drawings. "They look almost exactly as I imagined them. You did a great job, Max. You really are a pretty good artist," he complimented her.

"Thank you," Maxie lightly smiled.

"So why are you here, Bert?" Annie asked.

"I just wanted to talk about a few things," Bert answered her. "Bentley and I have been a little busy with that novel lately. Funny, I'm probably going to be spending the night with him at his parents' place."

"Why would that be?" Maxie asked.

"Well, seems Ralph has a 'special night' planned for Melissa, if you know what I mean..." Bert snickered.

"I'm not naive, Bert. I know _exactly _what you mean..." Maxie couldn't help but feel envious of Melissa. She was a good friend, but Maxie often wished her life could be half as good as hers was. All she had that Melissa didn't was a child; and if Ralph made up his mind on whether or not he and Melissa should have one, then Maxie would have _nothing_ she didn't have. Ralph might not have been the world's greatest man, but he at least treated Melissa quite well from what she had seen. "I wish _I _had someone _I_ could spend a 'special night' with," Maxie muttered under her breath. The last time she had slept with a man, Annie had ended up being the result. It had been _way_ too long...

"You wish you had what?" Bert said, looking confused. He must have overheard her.

"Oh...nothing much," Maxie said, shrugging it off. Bert didn't ask her any further about what she had said. "I've got work in a little over an hour, I'll probably say hello to them there."

"Maxie, did you know Ralphie boy and Melissa are trying to have children?" Bert said out of the blue to her.

"Ah, I remember, you told me this past week!" Annie replied.

"Really?" Maxie answered him. "I know Melissa wanted to have children, but Ralph didn't know whether it was for them or not...so he actually decided they should give it a try?"

"Yep!" Bert nodded. "They've already been to the doctor and everything. Just today, they bought some pregnancy tests from Willow's Store! I think it's only a matter of time before we get a new arrival at the Raccoondominium," he hopefully grinned.

"Well...I'm glad for her," Maxie lightly smiled. She had to at least be happy for her friend, now that she knew there was a high probability she would get to be a mother. "I know the two of them will make great parents. They really deserve the opportunity. I hope they get lucky."

"I'm sure they will!" Bert said. "I can hardly wait to have a new little friend!"

"I'm looking forward to it as well," Annie remarked. "I bet their baby will be adorable!"

"I'm sure it would..." Maxie idly remarked, trying to imagine what a child of Ralph and Melissa's could look like.

"You know, I have babysitting experience. I've looked after a few kids in the past few years. If Ralph and Melissa need any babysitting help, I'd be more than willing to provide it for them. I think babies are really cute, after all," Annie smiled. "Well, they can be a handful, but they're still adorable. I hope I have one someday."

"I would hope you would have one under better circumstances than _I _did," Maxie warned her.

"Don't worry about that, Mom! I'm waiting until I'm married before I start thinking about that. Someday, I _would_ like to be Mrs. Bentley Raccoon, after all," Annie sighed as she thought about her future.

"Maybe someday," Bert nodded. "What about you, Max? If you could have another child, would you?"

"What?" Maxie was totally taken aback by that question. "You're asking **_me_ **if I want to have another child?" She couldn't help but laugh a bit at that question. "Bert, that's a silly question to ask. I can't even _begin_ to think about that. For me to even begin to think about having another child, I'd have to actually be with someone first."

"I understand," Bert replied. "I'm just sayin', if you were with someone and you could choose to have another kid, would you?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Just curious. I wouldn't mind having a kid of myself someday..."

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind," Maxie shrugged. "I would hope it would be under a lot better circumstances than how Annie came to be..."

"I wouldn't mind having a little brother or sister," Annie added.

"Well," Bert said as he changed the subject rather hastily, "the real reason I'm here is because, well, I got a letter."

"You...did?" Maxie said, feigning surprise. She realized Bert was talking about the letter she had written him. "_Oh no_," she thought. "_I wonder what he thinks about it?_"

"Yeah, I got it right here, Max," Bert said as he pulled a letter out of what appeared to be thin air. "I got it the other day. Do you think you can recognize the handwriting?"

"You have a clue who wrote it?" Annie asked.

"Not really, I just know someone really likes me..."

"Give it to me, Bert," Maxie asked of her friend. Bert did as he was asked and handed over the letter. Maxie recognized every word. She knew that was _her_ handwriting. But she tried her best to pretend she didn't recognize it. "I can't say I do recognize the handwriting, Bert. Then again, I'm no handwriting expert..."

"I thought Lisa might have written it, but she told me she didn't have a clue. I kind of wish it had been her...but I'm curious. Someone else out there likes me? I can't say much, but they sound like a nice lady from what they wrote to me. Maybe a little shy, but still, they sound nice," Bert smiled.

Maxie smiled a bit. "_So Bert's interested in getting to know the person who wrote this letter..._" she thought to herself. "_B__ut I can't tell him it was me who wrote that letter yet...Still, I **could **hint to him..."_

"I can't help but wonder if that's one of my old girlfriends from high school or college. I really broke quite a few girls' hearts back then. I feel pretty bad I did that...I wouldn't be surprised if someone's been longing to have me back after all these years," Bert said as he scratched the back of his head.

"I still have a hard time imagining you as a womanizer, Bert," Maxie laughed. "You _definitely_ don't seem the type."

"I have a hard time believing _you _were once a cheerleader, Max!" Bert quickly retorted. "I never would have guessed in a million years until you showed me some old photos."

"People do change a lot, Bert..." Maxie stated.

"You've got a point there..."

"I couldn't tell you who wrote that letter, Bert, but I will say you should keep your eyes open. You never know, that special someone could be a lot closer than you think," Maxie smiled as she winked at him. It should have been pretty obvious to Bert she was trying to flirt with him a bit, but Bert didn't really catch on.

"Maybe," Bert said. "I'd still like to hope it's Lisa, though...Well, I probably should get going, anyways. You've got to get ready for work and I got to go say goodbye to Ralph and Melissa. See ya around, Max," Bert said as he got up and headed for the door.

"I'll see you later, Bert," Maxie said as she waved goodbye to him.

"Bye, Bert," Annie waved. With that, she turned towards her mother. "See, Mom? I think you might stand a chance with Bert, after all. He's pretty curious about who wrote that letter, after all!"

"Maybe you're right..." Maxie said. For once, she was actually feeling hopeful. "_Maybe he'll come around someday. Maybe one day not too far off in the future he might actually see past Lisa and give me a fair chance," _she eagerly thought.

At least for once, she felt hopeful...

* * *

><p>It's about eleven o'clock in the Evergreen Forest, and Ralph and Melissa Raccoon have just arrived home after they had gone out tonight. Bert had gone to George and Nicole's place since he had decided he didn't want to bother them tonight.<p>

They had both had a lot of fun tonight. Ralph had taken Melissa bowling at Evergreen Lanes. It had been a long, _long_ time since the two of them had actually gone bowling together; it had to have been a few years. They had then gone out to dinner at the Blue Spruce Cafe, where the two of them had quite a bit of wine to drink. Neither of them was heavily drunk, but both of them were both feeling more than a little soused as they strolled into the Raccoondominium arm in arm.

The two of them were laughing heartily as they were reminiscing about some of their past adventures. "Say, Ralph," Melissa chuckled. "Do you remember when you and Cedric got locked in Sneer Mansion's vault?"

"Now that was a long time ago," Ralph nodded in reply, "but I remember. We were both scared that we were going to starve to death in there. Boy, am I glad you and the guys managed to save us!" he guffawed. It wasn't really funny at all, but the alcohol was clouding his judgement just a bit.

"Hey, I don't know what I would do without you, Ralph," Melissa smirked. "Without you, my life would probably be a dreadful _mess_."

"I think the same, too," Ralph replied. A sneaky grin suddenly appeared on Ralph's face as a rather..._naughty_ idea was coming to his mildly addled mind. "Say, honey. I have a _really_ nice surprise for you..."

"A surprise, you say? Well, you know me, Ralph. I like surprises! Where's my surprise hiding at?" she asked him, nudging him in the ribs.

"Why don't you follow me upstairs and we'll find out..." Ralph mischievously grinned. Melissa knew her husband was up to a bit of mischief...but she didn't care. She had an idea what was probably going to happen tonight, and she _quite_ liked that idea.

"Sure thing," Melissa said as she followed Ralph upstairs, as he led her to their bedroom.

"Alright, Ralph. Now where's my surprise?" she asked him.

"It's around here...You go look around. I'll show it to you in a minute," he chuckled.

"Okay then..." Melissa said as she began looking around their bedroom. Ralph, meanwhile, was standing by a dresser in the corner of their bedroom, upon which a radio of theirs was placed. "Alright now," Ralph said as he fiddled with the dial on the radio, flipping through stations. Presently he came upon something he liked.

"_And all of the things that I said that I wanted_

_Come rushing by __in my head when I'm with you_

_Fourteen joys and a will to be merry_

_All of the the things that we say are very_

_Sentimental gentle wind, blowing through my life again_

_Sentimental lady, gentle one..._"

"Ah, perfect!" Ralph chuckled to himself.

"Say, Ralph, didn't we dance to that song at our wedding?" Melissa asked him.

"We sure did, Melissa. I definitely remember that," he grinned. The sneaky grin came across his face once again. "So, are you wondering where your surprise is?" Ralph asked his wife, winking at her.

"Tell me, Ralph. Nothing seems out of place here..." Melissa asked him.

"Well, it's right here," Ralph smirked. Much to Melissa's surprise, Ralph pushed her, causing her to topple backwards onto their bed.

"WOAH! Ralph, what did you do that for?" Melissa asked, looking surprised.

"No reason," he smirked. Ralph climbed on top of her, looking down at her, with his eyes twinkling.

"What are you thinking about?" Melissa asked, even though she knew full well what her husband was thinking about...

"Oh, nothing much," Ralph smirked. "Just...this!" With that, Ralph started tickling his wife's belly, causing her to laugh.

"Haha! Oh, Ralph, stop it! Stop it, please! You know how ticklish I am! Haha! Please, Ralph, stop!" she roared with laughter.

"Sure you want me to stop?" Ralph laughed himself. He loved hearing her laugh; he had always found her laughter to be quite adorable.

"Haha, please, Ralph!" she said, still giggling away.

"Well, okay," Ralph said as he stopped tickling Melissa. Melissa started to grin as well as she sat up.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Ralph asked her.

"_My _turn, Ralph," Melissa said, as she pushed Ralph over, causing him to fall on his back. She promptly put Ralph into a headlock. "Gotcha!" she teased him as she lightly rubbed her knuckle on top of his head.

"Hey, cut it out, Melissa!" Ralph laughed, begging for her to stop.

"Not until you say you're sorry for tickling me," as Melissa grinned the most seducing grin she could muster.

"Ah! Stop it! Ah, okay! Okay! I'm sorry I tickled you..." Ralph said.

"That what I wanted to hear," Melissa smiled as she let go of her husband.

"I'm not going to take_ that_ so easily, honey," Ralph smirked devilishly, another idea coming to his head.

"Ooh, what are you going to do to me, Ralph?" Melissa asked, pretending to be scared.

"Not much..." Ralph said as he pushed her head back onto the pillows and placed his paws on Melissa's chest.

"What are you doing, Ralph?" Melissa gasped.

"Something I think you'll _really _like..." Ralph smirked as he started to massage his wife's chest. Melissa felt a jolt of pleasure surging through her body as her husband gently caressed her. She couldn't help but lightly moan...

"Mmm...Ralph...that feels so...good..." she passionately sighed as Ralph continued to massage her chest. "Please...don't stop...please..."

"Heheh," Ralph chuckled, as his libido really started to flow. "I _love_ hearing you make those noises..." he smirked. Hearing his lover softly cooing and sighing in pleasure from his touch was _quite_ arousing...After a while, Ralph let go of his wife's breasts and looked down into her eyes.

"Ralph...why'd you stop..." a very aroused Melissa asked him, her heart pounding. Her eyes were gazing deep into his, longing for more. Ralph always did love her eyes. They had always been his favorite thing about her; it wasn't hard for him to get lost in her baby blues...right now they seemed so enticing, so hypnotic...

"Melissa...tonight's going to be a special night," Ralph winked at her. "It could be in more ways than one."

"Hmmm...how so?" Melissa eagerly asked.

"Well, you never know. Tonight might just be a night you'll remember for the rest of your life. It could be the night our first child's conceived..." he grinned. He knew that was rather unlikely to actually happen tonight, but it wasn't _impossible_...

"I'd love that," Melissa said, flashing a rather seducing grin at him. Ever since she had started feeling depressed months ago, Ralph and Melissa's love life had gone from fairly active to almost nonexistent. They had sex only a couple times over the past few months. But maybe there was an added perk of trying to have a child. For a while, at least, it could put a real spark back into their romantic life...

"Well..." Ralph said as he grinned broadly, "come here, honey..." With that, the giddy and mildly inebriated raccoons slid their arms around each other as they tightly embraced one another, pulling each other into a passionate kiss. They both fell backwards onto the pillows as their embrace tightened and their kiss grew deeper...

After a while, Melissa broke their kiss as she playfully tugged on Ralph's scarf.

"Hey, what are you doing...?" Ralph asked her.

"Your scarf, Ralph...I don't think you'll be needing it..." she said as she removed her husband's scarf and tossed it to the floor.

"Haha, I guess you're right," Ralph laughed as they kissed each other once more.

It wasn't long before they broke free from each other again. Ralph loosened his grip on his wife as he placed his paws at the bottom edges of her tank top.

"What are you-" Melissa began, but Ralph quickly put a finger to her lips to shush her.

"Let's get you out of that tank top, honey," Ralph grinned as he started to remove it. "If I don't need my scarf, then you're not going to need that, either..."

Just as Ralph was about to lift Melissa's tank top over her head, a knock suddenly came on their bedroom door. Ralph instantly froze in his tracks as his heart almost stopped. Somebody was here...in their home? How? Bert had gone off to spend the night at George and Nicole's house! Who could possibly be at their door now?

Sure enough, a familiar voice answered that question from outside their door. "Hey, you two awake in there?" Sure enough, it was Bert, alright.

"B-B-Bert!" Melissa stammered, feeling very embarrassed. This wouldn't be the first time she and Ralph had been caught while...in the mood. Seeing as Bert was their house guest, it _had _happened before. But he wasn't supposed to be here. "W-what are you d-doing here?" she shrieked.

"I wanted to show Bentley a new game I bought recently for my Gamedude, and I thought I brought it with me, but when I looked for my Gamedude, it wasn't with me. I hope it's not lost..." Bert worried. "I thought it might be here. Do you two think you could help me find it...?"

"Um, Bert," Ralph protested, "I don't think Melissa and I are going to be able to help you out there!"

"Why would that be? I woke you up, didn't I?" Bert thought the two of them had fallen asleep with the radio on.

"No, Bert. You sort of...interrupted us," Melissa groaned.

"I did?" Bert realized what he had just done. Ralph and Melissa had been either been about to or had been in the process of making love, and he happened to interrupt them. "Oh...Oh dear, I'm...I'm really sorry," he sheepishly replied. "I didn't think it was a great idea coming over here...I should have known what to expect...I'll...I'll just be on my way!" Bert promptly headed back downstairs and back to George and Nicole's place. "_Oh boy. I just ruined Ralphie boy's 'special night' for Melissa..._" he thought, feeling _quite _embarrassed. He knew he had done this before in the past. "_Well, they're trying to have kids. I should have figured they'll be going at it a lot more than they have in the past few months...I mean, that **is**_ _how kids are created..._" An idea crossed Bert's mind as he left the Raccoondominium. "_Maybe I should go buy some earmuffs or something..._"

Back upstairs, Ralph sighed as he grabbed his scarf and put it back on. Both he and Melissa were feeling quite disappointed that Bert ruined their romantic night. Neither of them felt in the mood any more...

"Well, isn't that lovely," Ralph moaned. "Tonight was going to be perfect, and then Bert ruined it all..."

"Why'd he have to show up here?" Melissa shook her head. "We were about to make beautiful music together, and then he had to show up..."

"I can't believe he did that..." Ralph said, in utter disbelief.

"Well, to be fair, he probably thought we were asleep by now," Melissa said, trying her best not to dwell on what had happened.

"He should have known better," Ralph griped.

"Ralph, you don't have to be _that_ upset, now. We'll have plenty of other chances," she lightly smiled, placing her paw on his shoulder.

"Oh, I know, I mean, I'm just _really _disappointed," Ralph sighed. "We haven't gotten to share very many 'special nights' with each other at all over the past half-year...and we need to spend more together if we want to have children."

"We spent our anniversary together," Melissa replied.

"Yes, but outside of that...it's probably well over a _month_. That's too long," Ralph shook his head once again.

"We'll have plenty of chances, Ralph," Melissa repeated herself. "Who knows, maybe trying to have children will put a little spark back into our love life?" she smirked.

"Well, for a little while, at least, until you actually get pregnant," Ralph quickly stated.

"But that's what our ultimate goal is, Ralph. Our goal _is_ for me to get pregnant, right?"

"Right, right," Ralph responded.

"And besides, it'll still be a happy time for us, sweetie," Melissa smiled. Ralph didn't smile back. His frown grew in size. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just so disappointed about what happened tonight," Ralph shook his head once more. "This is far from the first time this has happened. I can't help it for being negative. Ever since Bert came back to live with us, I've hardly gotten a moment of peace and quiet to myself. He's always keeping us on our toes like a little kid. It almost feels like we already have a child in him. Sometimes, I feel I just can't take it. He's been here the past..._eleven_ years, almost. Almost the whole time we've been married. When is he ever going to leave?"

Melissa was surprised to see Ralph was feeling frustrated with still having a house guest after all these years. "Well, you'll have to give him time, Ralph. Bert will leave when he feels ready to leave."

"I'm worried that time will be _never_," Ralph sighed again. "I mean, do you know what our chances of having children are if that keeps happening?"

"What are they?"

"Well, they're not seventy percent like Dr. Hensley said. They're pretty much..." Ralph struggled to finish, "they're pretty much..._absolute zero_."

"Now, come on, Ralph," Melissa said, trying to cheer him up. "It's not _that _bad..."

"Well, I can't just get up and throw him out. He's my oldest friend and he always had my back when I was younger. He had such a terrible time on his own, I can't bring myself to do that to him. Still, couldn't he at least find a nice girl who would want to take him in? What about Lisa? Couldn't she take him in?" Ralph asked.

"I don't think she would," Melissa replied. "You know, Lisa doesn't feel the same way about him that he does."

"Oh, that's right..." Ralph remembered, his mind still a bit hazy from the wine they had drank. "Well, couldn't someone take him in? There has to be _some _girl for him..."

"Just give him time," Melissa calmly replied. "When he's ready to leave, he'll leave. Until then, there's not much we can do. I don't think Bert's _that_ bad..."

"You're right," Ralph replied. He realized he _was _being a bit of an ass. "I'm still just disappointed..."

"Don't worry, Ralph. We'll have plenty of chances to spend the night together," she winked, "and sooner than you know it we'll probably be expecting that child we want. I have faith, Ralph."

"I hope so, too; I really _would_ like the chance to have a kid of my own," Ralph hopefully smiled.

"Hey, we could still do something nice together tonight," Melissa suggested.

"Hmm..." Ralph thought, a small idea coming to his mind. "We could go downstairs. I'm sure they have some late night movie on. We could go watch one and cuddle together," Ralph smiled at his wife. "What do you think?"

"I like that idea, dear. I always love a good cuddle," Melissa smiled back. She was starting to notice ever since Ralph had decided to put her ahead of his career, he _was _starting to become a little more romantic than he usually was. She had to admit, she _did _like that..."You know, it's been a long time since we actually just cuddled together, Ralph..."

"Well, I'm for it," Ralph agreed as he placed his arm around Melissa. "Cuddling would be really nice right now. C'mon. Let's go downstairs, honey." With that, the couple headed downstairs to go see what was on the TV together.

They still had high hopes that the future would bring them a child, although they didn't realize it wouldn't happen so quickly...

**END CHAPTER SEVEN**

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE: **Well, there's Chapter 7. We're definitely halfway through with this story. Not a _whole_ lot happened in this chapter, but hey, it's a bridging chapter. Although you can probably tell I had a _lot_ more fun writing this one than the last one I wrote, Chapter 3. Just a few notes this time.

Poor Ralph and Melissa at the end of this chapter. You have to figure if they've been married a long time and Bert has been living with them the majority of the time they've been married, this situation probably _has_ happened at least a couple of times. It's definitely...adult, although not really explicit and not really as adult as I could have made it. It's not graphic, because I will never go far enough in my works to write anything M-rated or X-rated. I like to write stories. Not smut. If you want to read smut, there are plenty of websites around the Internet where you can do just that. Most X-rated stories I've come across are _very _atrociously written, anyways. Usually quite laughable. There's another reason why I won't go that far. I'd rather not be fodder for some website that likes to skewer stories. I also figured Ralph could easily eventually start to feel a bit fed up with having Bert living with him and causing trouble for him at every turn and corner. Will Bert ever be able to live on his own? You'll have to see...

That song playing on Ralph and Melissa's radio...an old, old song called _Sentimental Lady_ originally written by a singer called Bob Welch. You might never guess, but he was originally a member of Fleetwood Mac before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were a part of that band (I bet some people never knew Fleetwood Mac existed before then. Fleetwood Mac had a very interesting history, to say the least. Before they were a pop superstar band, they started life as a blues band playing '30s and '40s blues covers. Three of their original members, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Danny Kirwan, all left the band as a result of mental health issues-that's an interesting story in and of itself). It originally showed up on their little known 1972 album _Bare Trees_, but then later became a solo hit for Welch after he left the band (Nicks and Buckingham joined shortly after he left) in 1977. I like the Fleetwood Mac version better as the solo version is shorter and drops one of the verses. As for Ralph and Melissa dancing to that one at their wedding...Sounds like a wedding-type song to me anyways. I wouldn't mind having it played at my wedding.

It seems the whole Bert/Lisa/Maxie subplot is becoming almost as interesting as the main story featuring Ralph and Melissa possibly having children. I will say I'll probably go places with this in some futures stories, but for right now I'm still developing this plot out some. You'll see in future stories where I go with this...

And as for Ralph's...reaction to having to provide a sample for the doctor, let's face it. That's probably how he would react. Hell, that's probably how _most _men would react (I can safely say I wouldn't be so comfortable either). Ralph really strikes me as a fairly humble person who probably would be quite uncomfortable talking about bedroom matters out in public (which makes him not that different from Hank Hill, really, just replace Ralph's love for his newspaper with Hank's love for propane and propane accessories and you pretty much could easily have something similar!).

Well, that's chapter seven. Next up, in Chapter Eight, we'll move forward a few months as Sophia and Cedric become parents, and in the meantime Ralph and Melissa are, surprise, surprise, struggling to conceive and not succeeding, as Melissa in particular is starting to get frustrated. Will Ralph and Melissa get the chance to become parents? You'll just have to see...


	8. Chapter 8: The Times They Are A Changin

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: At the start of this story, Melissa was battling depression, the reason behind which she did not know. Soon, however, she realized that her depression was caused by the fact she and Ralph did not have any children. She realized she longed to have a child of her very own. When she first approached Ralph with the idea, Ralph was unsure which caused her to feel upset, but soon, Ralph changed his mind and the couple agreed they should have a baby. Now, the two of them are trying to conceive. Last chapter, Ralph and Melissa had their fertility checked (both of them checked out okay), Melissa bought pregnancy tests at the store as she wished to determine whether or not she was pregnant at home, and they tried to have a nice romantic night together...only for Bert to ruin their hopes for love. In this chapter, we'll see that months have passed in the Evergreen Forest and Ralph and Melissa have yet to conceive as Melissa is starting to feel very stressed. To make matters worse for her, Cedric and Sophia are about to become parents and, to top it all off, Melissa experiences a family emergency...

Let's dive into...

**CHAPTER EIGHT: The Times They Are A-Changin'  
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Time is passing in the Evergreen Forest.

It's now mid-October in the Forest. Summer had come and gone; the weather was getting colder and soon enough the first snowfall would arrive. Before too much longer the residents of the Forest would be saying goodbye to the year of 1996 and hello to another new year-1997. Many of the residents were looking back on their year so far, including Melissa Raccoon...

Melissa was getting dressed on this autumn morning, getting ready for the new day. Right now, she was busy combing her hair. Melissa never cared too much about her personal appearance like a lot of her fellow women did, but she wanted to look her best for Ralph today. Ralph had taken the day off from the _Standard_ to spend with her, so she decided to pretty herself up a little bit for him, just enough to his liking. As she continued to comb her hair, she reminisced on the year so far...

A lot of things had happened over the summer. Perhaps most importantly, some sad news hit the Forest as the wealthy millionaire Cyril Sneer passed away towards the end of July. Cyril had a stroke a couple of years previously that had left him wheelchair-bound and in poor health; he had suffered another stroke that had finally put him out of his misery. "_Poor Cedric..._" Melissa sympathetically thought. "_Between having to run his company, his wife about to have a baby, and his father passing away, he's had quite a difficult year__._" The Forest just didn't seem to be quite the same without Cyril. Ever since he had that first stroke, the Forest seemed to be lacking that excitement and unpredictability...

The _Standard _had also gotten a new part-time staff member that summer. Annie Ringtail had approached Ralph and Melissa asking if she could help out during the summer. Neither of them had been aware Annie had a bit of an interest in journalism, but they eagerly offered her work for her summer holiday. Annie had told Melissa that she wanted to study journalism in college, and since she would be heading off to Evergreen University after the next school year it would be nice to get some on-the-job experience. Annie had spent most of her time working with Melissa on photo assignments, and as it turned out, she was most interested in photography. "_I must admit, it is quite nice to have something of a protege,_" Melissa thought to herself as she chuckled a bit. Although Annie was busy most days with school now, she would often show up on weekends now to work with her. "_Having her aboard would definitely increase the _Standard's _productivity...which would mean more free_ _time,_" Melissa pondered as she set down her hairbrush.

Then Melissa's thoughts quickly switched to Ralph and their decision to have children. She still remembered how joyful she was when Ralph had finally decided the two of them should have children. They had their fertility tested and both of them were deemed capable of having children. The two of them had been...rather busy the past five months. Ralph had said he was going to change his priorities by putting her happiness ahead of his job, and he had actually stuck with it. "_He really has become more romantic..._" she fondly smiled. Sure, she always had thought Ralph was a sweetheart, but these past few months he had been _extremely_ sweet to her. Every week, Ralph would take a random day off just to spend with her, doing whatever they liked: riding their tandem bike together through the woods, going for hikes along the trails, cuddling on the couch and watching movies and TV together, going bowling together, going fishing, eating out together..."_These past few months have been wonderful,_" Melissa happily thought. "_Why, it's almost like we're dating again!_" It really felt that way to her. She and Ralph had been on so many "dates" these past few months; she hadn't had so much fun in a long time. To her, it felt as if their marriage had gone from being in a bit of a rut to being rejuvenated.

Melissa's thoughts then turned to her and Ralph's love life...she had also noticed Ralph had become a better lover in addition to being more romantic. Not that Melissa thought he had been _bad _in bed before, but he had never been as passionate as he was now. Some nights, Ralph even seemed a bit _aggressive_. This seemed so unlike him...but she loved it. She had also noticed Ralph was seducing her more often than he used to; he seemed to be trying to get her in bed with him on a fairly regular basis. Melissa _did_ love turning her husband on, but she had to admit, she liked being seduced by him even more. Ralph had even become somewhat...adventurous. He had fairly recently revealed to her he had long had a romantic fantasy of her being in great peril and him coming to her aid and rescuing her. So one night not too long ago, the two of them had actually role-played. Melissa had pretended to be kidnapped (a la Lois Lane) and in great danger, and Ralph had pretended to be the brave hero coming to her rescue in a _Superman_ outfit, after which she had properly..."thanked" her hero. That had been a whole new experience for her; they had never done anything like that before. "_But I must admit, I really liked it; it was a lot of __fun,_" she cheekily smiled in her mirror. "_I actually found that rather...hot. Ralph and I are **definitely**_ _going to have to do something like that again sometime in the future..._" And not to mention, she and Ralph had been enjoying each other's bodies quite a bit more often than they used to...they once had a semi-active sex life, but now they were making love two to three nights a week. They had never been quite _that_ active before. It was almost as if their libido had spiked. "_My hunch was right__,_" Melissa thought to herself, _"trying to have kids really **has **put quite a spark back into our romantic life. You certainly can't accuse us of not trying!_" Still, she knew she had to enjoy it while she could, because once she got pregnant and they were raising a child together, their love life would _definitely _be slowing down...

Which directed Melissa's mind into less happy thoughts. For all their efforts to have children, so far, they had not achieved their goal. Melissa was still not pregnant like she hoped she would be by this time. She had high hopes she would when they first started, but now, she wasn't feeling so sure...was her age a factor? She knew her chances of having a child were not as good as they would be if she and Ralph were a few years younger, but they were still supposed to be pretty good. But then she also realized, their chances of not having children were also higher than they would be if they were younger. She remembered when she and Ralph were first starting to try, she had bought a box containing two pregnancy tests at Willow's Store. She had already used one test as a couple of months ago she missed her time of the month and she immediately suspected she was pregnant. She and Ralph had gotten quite excited...but alas, it was all for naught, as it turned out to be a false alarm: she tested negative and ended up having her period a few days late. "_Now how cruel is that...we got our hopes up all for a false alarm..._" she sighed. Melissa was secretly starting to feel a bit frustrated. All the while, her desire to have a baby had continued to grow stronger and stronger, and she felt she couldn't wait much longer. Melissa wanted a child as soon as she possibly could, and yet it seemed that their efforts might not pay off. She had been hoping she would be pregnant by the time Ralph's birthday rolled around, but alas, September 14th had already came and went, and she was still not expecting. "_I guess we just have to keep trying..._" Melissa tried to encourage herself. But she knew her birthday was right around the corner; November 25th was approaching pretty rapidly. She would be turning thirty-six, another year older. She knew the older she got, the less likely it would be she and Ralph could conceive...would time run out on her before they would get a chance to have a baby of their own? Melissa sighed as she decided to go downstairs to eat breakfast with her husband.

Meanwhile, Ralph was already awake and fixing up a bowl of cereal. It was unusual for him to be up before Melissa; usually the first thing that greeted Ralph in the morning was his wife shaking him awake. "What can I say," Ralph chuckled as he poured the milk into his cereal bowl, "when I'm out, I'm out." Ralph took a sip from his new coffee cup. It was one of Melissa's birthday presents for him this year. The cup had a large pink heart on it and had on it, in slightly fancy looking handwriting, the words "I Love My Wife". Melissa had seen it at the store and thought it was cute, so she had bought it for him. Ralph loved the present, because it was true. "I do love my wife, alright," he smiled. Ralph had been glad he decided to put Melissa above his job. "_Had I continued to place the _Standard _above my wife, that would have probably ended up costing__ me __her love. And in the long run that might have caused us to go our separate ways..._" Ralph cringed imagining Melissa wanting to divorce him. He wanted to spend the remainder of his life with her by his side; the thought of her wanting to leave him forever was quite heart-wrenching. But he felt confident that wouldn't happen now. Ralph felt his decision might have very well saved their marriage in the long run.

Plus, he loved the amount of..."quality time" he and Melissa had been spending together the past five months. Melissa dearly wanted a child, and Ralph was determined to give her that child. Sure, they had already had a false alarm, but Ralph felt if they just kept trying soon enough their efforts were going to pay off big time; he felt it wouldn't be very much longer at all before Melissa was expecting their first child. He still secretly felt annoyed that Bert was still around to cause them trouble...but Bert had recently purchased some ear plugs. At least he kept out of their fur when they were in the mood...MOST of the time. Ralph knew Bert probably wouldn't be getting up until almost noon...

At that moment, Melissa came downstairs. "Good morning, sweetie," she smiled as she greeted her husband with a kiss.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty," Ralph chuckled. "You're up a little late today. Usually you're already up fixing breakfast by now."

"Sorry, Ralph, I slept in a little late..." Melissa admitted as she poured herself a bowl of cereal as well and sat down next to her husband. "I guess this'll have to do today."

"Better than nothing. I've got quite a day planned for us," he smiled.

"What are we going to do today, Ralph? Lately it seems you always have a little something planned for us," Melissa cheerfully asked her husband.

"Today I want to go for a nice little hike up the Forest trail," Ralph informed her, "and later tonight, I thought maybe we could go to the movies. Maybe there's something good playing?"

"Sounds like a great idea to me," Melissa nodded. "Goodness, when was the last time we actually went to see a movie at the theaters?"

"I think it's been since before we were married," Ralph sheepishly replied. "Well, at least we're catching up on things we've missed out on all these years, aren't we?"

"Of course," Melissa smiled. "I must say, it feels like we're dating all over again-except this time we're married," she grinned.

"Exactly, and I don't have to worry about your father wanting to kill me for keeping you out too late," Ralph added.

"Well, I'm surprised my Dad actually liked you, Ralph. He never liked any of my other boyfriends before you...Then again, I guess you're one of a kind," she smiled.

"You had better believe it, baby," Ralph chuckled. "You know, I've been doing a lot of thinking, Melissa, and I've been wondering, what kind of child do you think we'll ultimately end up having?"

"What do you mean?" Melissa asked, feeling puzzled.

"Do you think our kid will be as good as gold? Or do you think we'll be the parents of a little troublemaker?" he questioned her.

Melissa had never thought about that. "It doesn't matter to me, dear. A child is a child. I'd be happy to have one no matter how it ends up turning out."

"Well, I've been having this feeling we'll end up raising a little hell-raiser," Ralph noted. "I've just got this feeling..."

"I'm sure we won't, Ralph. It all depends on how we raise it. I'm sure we'll end up raising a little angel," she hopefully smiled. "_Hopefully sooner than later..._" a voice at the back of her mind said.

At that moment, the phone rang. "Hold on, honey," Melissa said as she got up from the kitchen table, "I'll go get that for you."

Melissa picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Melissa Raccoon speaking, may I ask who's calling?"

A very familiar gruff voice greeted her over the phone. "Oh, c'mon, Mel. I think you know who this is."

"Dad!" Melissa exclaimed. Melissa didn't get to talk to her father very often, so it was always nice to speak to him. "It's so nice to hear from you. How've you been lately?"

"Well, not too good..." Mike Mulligan spoke in a low tone of voice. "Listen, Melissa...there's something I kinda need to talk to you about..."

"Go on, Dad. Tell me."

"Erm...I kinda can't tell you this over the phone. D'ya think you could drop by my place so we could discuss this?" Mike asked his daughter.

"Of course," Melissa replied. "Ralph and I will be over there ASAP, Dad."

"Actually, I only wanted to speak to you, honey," Mike quietly spoke. "This is kind of...a family matter..."

"A family matter?" Melissa was confused, but she was eager to visit her father. "Sure thing, Dad. I'll be there in a jiffy!"

"See ya in a few," Mike said as Melissa hung up the phone.

"Who was that, honey?" Ralph asked Melissa.

"That was my Dad. He said he's got a bit of a...family matter he wants to discuss with me in private," Melissa informed her husband.

"'Family matter'? What does he mean by 'family matter'?" Ralph asked, confused.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Melissa said as she headed for the door.

"I'll go with you," Ralph said as he followed her, "then we'll go hiking. That sound about right?"

"Sorry, Ralph, my Dad said this is a personal matter between me and him," Melissa replied. "Don't worry, we'll go hiking when I get back. Is that alright with you?"

"Alright, alright, see you in a little bit, honey," Ralph waved goodbye to her as she left. "Huh. I wonder what's up with old Mike Mulligan?" he wondered.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in another corner of the Forest, an elderly raccoon reclined on his couch...<p>

Mike Mulligan sighed as he gazed up at the ceiling. He had lived a very hard and extremely unhappy life, as he had basically seen almost everything he ever loved in life die or leave him. He was only fifty-seven years old, but his stressful journey through life had caused him to age _horrendously_ and as a result, he looked and felt a lot older than he really was. The past couple years alone had been especially tough: his arthritis in his knees had gotten so bad he could hardly walk properly anymore. He pretty much needed a walker just to get around since otherwise the pain was just too great. As such, Mike was no longer able to look after the Beer Emporium anymore, and he ended up having to sell it to a newcomer to the Forest called Jeremy Starling. He hoped his old bar wouldn't fall apart under new ownership...but even if he could stay, there wouldn't have been much enjoyment anyways. In the past two years, two of his best customers, Arthur Raccoon and Peter Fagan, had kicked the bucket. It just wouldn't have been the same without the usual crew...

Mike was looking forward to a visit from his daughter, Melissa. In his whole life, Mike felt he had done just one good thing: help create her. Even if she had been an accident, her birth had still been the happiest moment of his whole life. How ironic it was quickly followed by the saddest moment of his whole life: his wife dying from cancer. Mike had raised her all by himself, and he was proud of how she had turned out. When she was an infant, Mike thought about giving her up, but he soon grew attached to her and wanted nothing better than for her to grow up and have a good life. She had gone on to be a very successful, smart, and vibrant woman with a good career and a good husband. Mike had been wary of her husband Ralph at first, but after some time, Mike finally came to accept him as his son-in-law and as a good man for his daughter. It pleased Mike knowing his daughter had a good life. At the very least, he could feel satisfied knowing she was happy. He didn't see her but a few times a year, but they talked over the phone from time to time. What Melissa had told him the last time they talked brought him a little bit of excitement: Melissa was hoping to have a baby and she and Ralph were trying to conceive. While Mike didn't like to think of his daughter in the throes of passion with her husband, it made him smile thinking she and Ralph might very well get the chance to experience parenthood. No doubt it would be the highlight of their lifetimes. "_Hey, maybe she's already carrying a little something special inside of her__," _Mike thought to himself. Maybe she would bring him the good news that she was expecting his grandchild.

But Mike dreaded what he was going to tell Melissa when she arrived here. The news was...far from good. He knew it was going to greatly upset her, but he would have to tell her...

At that moment, the doorbell rang. "Come in," Mike said to the visitor.

Sure enough, it was his daughter. "Hi, Dad!" Melissa cheerfully said to her father.

"Ah, it's great to see you, sweetheart," Mike smiled as Melissa came to the couch and gave her father a hug.

"It's nice to see you too, Dad," Melissa smiled as she sat beside him. "Not every day we get to see each other."

"No, it ain't," Mike replied in his gruff Southern drawl. Mike quickly placed a Manitoba cigarette, his smoke of choice, in his mouth and lit it.

"You really love those cigarettes, don't you, Dad?" Melissa asked him.

"'Course I do. I'm pretty much a slave to them..." Mike heavily sighed.

"So, Dad," Melissa cleared her throat, "you know how last time I talked to you I told you Ralph and I were trying to have children?"

Mike's ears perked up. He had a good feeling he knew what she was about to tell him. "Of course I do, Mel," he nodded. He was trying to think of a way to ask her about it without sounding crude and vulgar. "I don't suppose you're about to tell me you're...erm...ah...you're in the 'family way', are you?" he hopefully asked.

"I wish I could say I was..." Melissa sighed. "But, I'm afraid not. Ralph and I have been trying for a while now, but nothing's happened...yet..."

"Oh," Mike said. He felt a little disappointed. "I was actually hoping you were gonna tell me you were carrying my grandkid..."

"Well, Ralph and I did have a false alarm. We thought I was pregnant, but as it turned out, I ended up having my period a few days late..."

"Erm, Mel," Mike uncomfortably replied, "a little too much information there!"

"Sorry, Dad," Melissa apologized. "I guess that's a habit I picked up from you," she chuckled.

"So it'd seem," Mike nodded, "I mean, c'mon. It was hard enough for me when you actually...er...became a woman. Now you've got to remind me of that? Mother of Mercy," Mike shook his head.

"Sorry, sorry. But it was really disappointing..." Melissa noted, "Ralph and I got quite excited all for nothing. I hope we'll get lucky soon enough..."

"I hope you do, too, honey," Mike lightly smiled at his daughter. "Believe you me, parenthood was the best experience of my whole life. I would do anything to have those years I helped raise you back..." he wistfully sighed as he closed his eyes, remembering Melissa's childhood days. "Having a kid will probably be the happiest moment in your life, Mel."

"Oh, I know!" Melissa nodded. "Even though I'll admit I'm not tremendously fond of carrying a baby in my womb for nine months..."

"Can't say I blame ya there, Mel," Mike agreed. "It sure as hell can't be a fun experience. I hope I don't sound a little sexist here, but I'm really glad I'm not a woman. I couldn't imagine what it's like to actually have a kid growing inside my gut for the better part of a year."

"Yes, I understand that, Dad. But I am willing to go through with it. If I have to go through nine months of pregnancy and childbirth to become a mother, then I'm willing to put myself through it. Besides, I know Ralph will help. He promised me he would," Melissa smiled.

"Ralph will make a good father," Mike smiled. "That's gonna be the proudest moment of his life, too. I can say it from experience. You being born was the proudest moment of my life. Seeing your child and knowing it's _your_ child, just _knowing _that you helped create that little bundle of joy...it's...I don't think I even have the words to describe how it feels," Mike choked up. "I still get emotional just remembering when you were born."

"I can see that," Melissa smiled at her father.

"Oh yeah, I can't really help it," Mike nodded. "Not a whole lot else good has happened in my life."

"You helped many of the orphans of the Forest find new loving homes, that counts for something."

"Hey, I'm an orphan myself. I know what it's like. Every kid should have a good home. No one should grow up in such an awful place like that..." Mike cringed as he remembered his time in a Kentucky orphanage.

"Well, I'm hoping we'll get lucky soon," Melissa said, getting back to the main subject. "_Really_ soon, I hope."

"I hope so too..." Mike sighed. He needed to tell Melissa the bad news. Even if it would bring sadness to her heart, he couldn't keep it from her. She was his daughter; she _had_ to know. "Too bad I might not get to see my grandkids..."

"Dad, what do you mean?" Melissa didn't quite understand. "Of _course_ you'll be there to see them!" Even if Melissa was starting to wonder if she and Ralph were actually going to have kids, she still felt certain if she did have a baby, Mike would be there to see it.

"Melissa, this is kind of why I wanted you to come here in the first place...I needed to talk to you about something..." he solemnly said, preparing himself to tell her the bad news.

"What is it, Dad?" Melissa said, starting to feel worried. What was up with her father?

"Melissa, let me just say, I _really_ don't think you're going to like what I have to tell you..." Mike was trying to delay his bad news just a little bit longer.

"Dad, I don't care, I'm your daughter! Tell me what's wrong," Melissa pleaded with him.

"Melissa...I've been having random coughing fits from time to time, and just on a whim, I went to the doctor the other day..."

"The new one, Dr. Hensley?" Melissa curiously asked. "He's the one Ralph and I saw when we decided to have children."

"Yeah. Him," Mike scowled. "I think this guy's a nutjob. He eats the erasers off of his pencils! Now what kinda guy does that...never mind a doctor!"

"I will say I thought he was a bit eccentric..." Melissa quietly said under her breath.

"Yeah, but he gave me some _really_ bad news..." Mike said. He was dreading what he would say next.

"What is it?" Melissa didn't care how bad the news was. She _had_ to know.

"Melissa...I've...I've..." Mike started to tear up just trying to tell her..."Mel, I've got lung cancer..." Mike started to cry.

Melissa gasped. "WHAT? Dad...no! You're kidding...right? Right?" She thought her father might just be kidding.

"Do I _look_ like I'm kidding?" Mike snapped between tears. Melissa immediately realized her father was _quite _serious.

"Dad...that's awful!" Melissa sadly exclaimed. "And you're still _smoking_! No wonder you have lung cancer, Dad!" She grabbed her father's pack of cigarettes, crushed the pack in her paw, and tossed it across the room in disgust. "I...I tried to make you quit all those years ago because I wanted to prevent something like this happening! See why I didn't like you smoking?" Melissa was a mixture of sad and furious. Sad for her father suffering from cancer and furious that she had tried to make him quit when she was a teenager and he had simply ended up taking up smoking again.

"I can't help it...I'm beyond hopelessly addicted to these things. I've lived by them and...I guess I'll die by them," Mike said as tears streamed down the old raccoon's face.

"You never had the willpower to quit," Melissa frowned. But she couldn't stay mad with her father. He was the only parent she had ever known; she had lost her mother before she ever got to know her. "Dad...you're not going to die, are you? They can treat you...can't they?"

"Are you asking if I'll be going through chemotherapy?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Melissa said, starting to cry herself.

"I...I'm afraid I can't, Mel. Turns out I've had cancer for years. They said it's advanced to enough of a state where there's nothing they can really do for me. In my ill health I would never survive the treatment. The doc said I got only about a year to live at best. Maybe less at worst..." Mike realized the end of his lifespan was approaching.

"Dad..." Melissa burst out into tears as her father embraced her. "Dad, you can't die! You can't!" she sobbed.

"I'm sorry, Mel..." Mike cried as his daughter continued to sob. He knew this was how she would react. "I'm sorry. If I'd have been just a little smarter I'd have never touched a cigarette in my life. I never thought when I found that pack in the trash back when I was ten, it would end up leading to all this..."

"But you _have_ to live, Dad!" Melissa said through her tears. "You _have_ to! You're supposed to be there when my children are born!" Now Melissa had another clock she would have to race against besides her own biological one: the countdown to her own father's death. She knew she wanted to have children before he died, even if it was the last thing he ever got to see. This, however, was a race she had even less confidence at all she could win...

"I'm so sorry, Melissa..." Mike said as father and daughter continued to cry together. Melissa just didn't understand. First Ralph lost his father, then Cedric ended up losing his as well. Now she was aware she would soon lose hers. "_Why did this have to happen?_" she sorrowfully thought.

* * *

><p>It was later that afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. The Forest's children had gotten out of school for the day and had headed home to be with their parents. Of course, some of the older children were still out and about...<p>

Bentley Raccoon was waiting in his old pal Bert's clubhouse. He and Bert had spent many a day having fun here. Bentley had also brought his dog, Broo the sheepdog. Broo had once belonged to Bert, but Bentley had longed to have a puppy and Bert had let him look after him. Unfortunately, Bentley didn't do such a good job and almost got the puppy killed when he failed to watch him and Broo had gotten trapped inside a TV satellite Cyril Sneer was blasting off into space. Bentley felt ashamed, but in time, he and Broo really started to bond with one each other. When Bentley had turned fifteen, Bert surprised him by giving Broo to him as a birthday present. Bert felt Bentley had finally proven himself responsible enough to have a pet. It had been so hard for Bert; he had loved the little dog so much, but he thought it would be a great present for his little buddy. "_That was the greatest present anyone has ever given me..._" Bentley fondly smiled, still remembering his fifteenth birthday party from three years ago.

But Bentley couldn't help but feel impatient waiting for his friend. They were supposed to continue working on their novel. Annie had long since dropped out of their little project as she started to find it ridiculous, but Bentley had stuck by his bud's side. What was taking him so long? He was almost an hour late. "Ugh. Is Bert even going to show up today? I might as well just go home..." Bentley groaned.

"Ruff ruff, ruff ruff!" Broo barked at his young owner.

"You think he'll be here soon, Broo?" Bentley asked his pet.

"Ruff!" Broo nodded.

"Well, alright, I'll just wait here a few more minutes..."

Sure enough, Bert came through the front door of the clubhouse...in a Kodak moment, not looking so happy.

"There you are, Bert! I've been wondering where the heck you were all this time! What took you so long?" Bentley asked his pal.

"Your Aunt Melissa's not feeling so well, little buddy," Bert said, not even managing to smile.

"You mean she's pregnant? I know she and Uncle Ralph are trying to have children," Bentley asked.

"No, she's sad, Bentley. If she were pregnant, I think she'd be a lot happier than she is right now. Well...it would depend on the situation. If she didn't want kids she might be sad, but she _does_ want them. But that's not why she's sad."

"What's the matter with her?"

"She's having a family crisis," Bert solemnly replied. "Her father's dying. She found out today he's got lung cancer, and well, it's terminal. That means he's gonna die."

"Bert, I _know _what terminal means," Bentley frowned. But he couldn't help but feel a little bad for his aunt. "How's she doing Bert?"

"Not so good. Ralphie boy had a big day planned for her today, but, she kinda came home in tears. She's been crying ever since she got back from her Dad's place. Me and Ralphie boy have been trying to get her to calm down, but she won't stop crying. She's close to hysterical," Bert scratched the back of his head. "Ralph's just trying to cheer her up and do anything to make her feel a little better. He kinda knows how it is since he lost his father not too long ago..."

"Oh, Grandpa. I miss Grandpa. His last years were pretty rough...but, I guess he's in a better place..." Bentley sighed.

"Yeah..." Bert lowly said. "I guess it's especially hard for her since she and her dad are the last two living members of their entire family. I remember Melissa tried her hardest to look for any living members of her family tree, but she couldn't find any living anywhere. As far as she knows they're the last two left alive. When her Dad's gone, she's going to be all that's left. The survival of her family's blood literally depends on her. I don't think I'd want to be in her position. Kinda tough..."

"I know, I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I were the last of my whole family..." Bentley agreed, as he imagined what it could be like if all his family members were dead. It was far from a pleasant thought.

"Let's just sit and talk, little buddy," Bert said. "I don't really feel like writing anything today," he sighed.

Broo came running towards his old master.

"Oh, hey there, Broo," Bert smiled as Broo jumped on him. The excited sheep dog licked his face a few times, happy to see his old friend. "Nice to see you again." Broo allowed Bert to pet him as Bentley spoke up.

"I might as well ask: are Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa actually going to have children? They've been trying for months..." Bentley asked.

"Well, I think they definitely will," Bert confidently replied. "Hey, they've _really_ been going at it lately. Seems they're taking trying to have kids pretty seriously," he chuckled. "As much as they've been going at it the past few months, those efforts _have_ to pay off!" Bert laughed.

Bentley cringed. "Bert...I didn't want to know that!" Ralph and Melissa were his aunt and uncle; sure, he knew their love for each other was strong, but still, they were part of his family. He didn't want to imagine them in _that_ way... "How exactly are you comfortable living there with them while..._that_ happens? I wouldn't ever be able to sleep..."

"When you live with them as long as I have, you get used to it pretty quickly," Bert shrugged. "Earplugs help out a _lot_ though. I learned that pretty recently. Probably the best purchase I've made in a long time..."

"_I am not going to get that image out of my head..._" Bentley winced just picturing his aunt and uncle in the mood for love. "I don't think I'm comfortable talking about my aunt and uncle's love life, Bert..."

"Oh, sorry, sorry..." Bert apologized. "I just can hardly wait until we've got a new little pal to play with. Just think, Bentley, in a few years their kid would be old enough to play with us!"

"I'm looking forward to it too, Bert," Bentley said, "I'm just wondering, how can you be so sure they'll have a little boy? They could always have a little girl."

"Well, I'd love to have a new little buddy for us to play with, but, I suppose a little girl wouldn't be bad either..." Bert placed his paw to his chin as he thought aloud. "I guess then Lisa or Annie will be getting a little buddy!" Bert then sighed. "It's kind of sad my friends are going to have kids and I'm not, though...Boy, would I _really_ love to have a kid!"

"Aren't Cedric and Sophia due any day now?" Bentley asked. He had spent much of the summer working around Sneer Mansion, so he had spent quite a fair bit of time with them. Bentley was strongly considering taking a job at Sneer Industries once he graduated from college.

"They should be. And sooner than I not, Ralphie boy's gonna be an expectant dad, too..." Bert sighed.

"Hey, who knows, Bert? Maybe you will get to have kids someday. You never know!" Bentley smiled at his friend, trying to make him feel a little better.

"That's not gonna happen unless I can find someone to be with..." Bert had been doing some thinking lately. "Do you think Lisa would ever want to go out with me, little buddy?"

"I'm not sure, Bert," Bentley shrugged. Truthfully, Bentley knew his big sister had no romantic feelings for Bert. But Bert was still so determined to win her heart, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend.

"You know, I've been waiting for her to come around, and nothing's happened," Bert thought aloud. "Maybe that's not the right approach. Maybe...maybe she's waiting for me to approach her!"

"She could be..." Bentley just went along with his friend. "Hard to say, really." Bentley felt sorry for Bert as he knew he was just setting himself up for heartbreak in the end.

Or was he? Who knew with Bert? Bert had so many crazy schemes in his head; maybe he actually _could_ win Lisa over? Bentley doubted it, but he never could tell for sure..."_Besides, I'd rather Bert end up with my sister than some other floozy. And better her than Annie's mother!_" Bentley was well aware Maxie Ringtail had a little something for Bert, thanks to Annie telling him all about it. Bentley did _not_ like the idea of Bert ending up with his girlfriend's mother in the slightest. The thought just plainly and simply creeped him out. Bert becoming his future...stepfather-in law just didn't seem right in his head. He was hoping if not Lisa, Bert would find someone other than Maxie, although Bentley had a bad feeling deep inside him that was who he was going to end up with in the long run..."Still, I guess it's worth a shot," he said in a more encouraging tone.

"I'll definitely have to give it a try," Bert responded. He was _desperate _to win her heart in any way possible. This was probably going to be his last-ditch effort to win her over. If she rejected him, he knew that would probably mean they would never end up together, and then who would he end up with...? "_Well, I guess whoever's been writing me those letters..._" Bert thought. He had received yet another letter in the past few months, from the same mystery writer who wrote him the first time. Bert was still clueless as to who wrote those letters. "_I'll probably find out sooner or later..._" Bert thought. But he still felt he needed to try to win Lisa's affections. He would try when he felt the time was right. He didn't know when that would be, but he felt it would be coming around the corner soon. If he failed at that, then at least he had something to fall back on...

Bert felt so confused. "_What a difficult position to be in..._" He quickly decided to change the subject at hand. "Hey, what about you, little buddy? Would you like to have kids someday?"

Bentley almost jumped out of his seat at that question. "Uh...Bert..." he nervously remarked as he twiddled his fingers, "I think I'm a little too young to be worrying about that right now! I have a few things I'd like to do in life first: graduate high school, graduate college, and get a successful career. Maybe after I've accomplished all that..." Bentley preferred not to get himself into trouble at such a young age. He would rather not fool around with Annie and risk getting her pregnant. After all, Maxie was a teenaged mother, and she would probably _not_ be very happy to find her daughter following in her footsteps. Bentley had never seen Maxie angry before, and he didn't want to get on her bad side...

* * *

><p>A day has passed. Today is October 19th. It's another typical late October day in the Evergreen Forest. And of course, the usual activities are going on at the office of the <em>Evergreen Standard<em>...

Ralph and Bert were sitting at their computers, typing away. Even though Ralph had spent more time having fun with his wife lately, that didn't mean he slacked off on his job any. Ralph still took the time to make sure he got all his work done and the paper still got put together. Sure, he had lost the Small Town Editor of the Year award to Jack Pennington, a rival editor of his who ran the _Spruceton Chronicle_, but that didn't mean Ralph wouldn't be in the running for it next year. Despite always trying to take one day out of their work week to spend with Melissa, Ralph still made sure the work got done...he had just decided to extend their working hours by an extra hour-and-a-half. Everything still got done. Even so, Ralph had to admit, not a whole lot exciting was going on lately. "_Then again, the Evergreen Forest **is **a small community. That's to be expected sometimes..._" The baby boom had been the most exciting news in a while, and that had eventually slowed to a halt as well. Still, Cedric and Sophia were on the verge of becoming parents. That was pretty big news. Ralph knew they would be writing an article about that soon enough. "_I can only wonder what'll happen when it's our turn,_" he thought as he quickly glanced at Melissa sitting at the other side of his desk, who today was working on writing her _Ask Melissa _advice column, which had proven to be pretty popular since they had added it. Ralph couldn't help it. He would always be a pure journalist at heart. He knew once Melissa finally did get pregnant, that was going to be some of the biggest news the _Standard _ever had: the editor and his trusty wife, the photographer, having a baby together. Ralph smiled just imagining a future edition of the _Standard _featuring a big photo one the front page of the two of them smiling as they held their new baby. "_Now **that** would be_ _something..._" he grinned. Still, that might look like he was bragging to everyone. He wasn't sure he should be so in-everyone's-face about possibly becoming a parent. Ralph shrugged as he went back to typing.

Meanwhile, Melissa was finishing writing her response to the letters sent to her for this week's advice column. Melissa had spent most of yesterday crying upon finding out her father had terminal lung cancer. Ralph had spent most of that time comforting her and trying to cheer her up. She felt better today, but she still wasn't feeling all that happy...

"Here you go, Ralph," Melissa forced a bit of a smile as she handed her responses to Ralph for him to type up.

"Ah, thank you, honey. This is probably one of our most popular columns, you know..." Ralph smiled. Melissa looked glumly at the floor. "Melissa, what's the matter? Are you still sad about...you know...what's happening with Mike?"

Melissa nodded. "Of course I am, Ralph. I'm going to lose my father within a year's time. He's the only family I ever had growing up. Just me and my Dad. I can't believe...he's going to be gone soon..." she sighed.

"Melissa, it's hard, but you'll get through it eventually..." he sympathetically smiled lightly at her. "I lost my father last year. It's hard, but you can get through it!"

"I'm sure I can..." she blankly replied. "I mean, I'm extra sad knowing I'm about to be the last of my family left alive. I'm going to be the very last Mulligan-and I've already given up my name. There won't be a Mulligan family anymore once my Dad passes away. I know our family blood can still survive, Ralph. But it's all up to me. I'm the only hope for the Mulligan family blood to live on. And that's only if we can actually successfully conceive..."

"You don't need to worry, honey," Ralp smiled as he leaned over and gave her a small hug. "I promise you will get that chance really soon. Our efforts will pay off. You'll see. I promise, your family blood will get a chance to live on." Ralph seemed so confident they would succeed in their continuing quest to have children, while Melissa was feeling less sure. It felt funny to her how when Melissa had first suggested they should have children, she had faith that they could and Ralph didn't believe they could actually be parents...they had practically flip-flopped.

"I hope so..." Melissa sighed. "I'm sorry I ruined our special day yesterday, Ralph."

"It's not your fault. Your father is having a hard time. You couldn't do anything about that. How could I be mad at you for that?"

"I know..." Melissa felt a little silly for apologizing about that. "I mean, I'm sad for my Dad, but I'm not surprised this happened at all. I knew this was going to happen eventually if he kept smoking those Manitobas like a roaring freight train. I tried my hardest when I was a teenager to get him to stop, but he went right back to smoking after he quit for just a while..." She shook her fist in a bit of anger. "Why didn't he stick with it? I mean, I know cigarettes are tough to quit, but if he had stuck with it, he wouldn't be in this situation..."

"Some people have stronger willpower than others, Melissa," Ralph shrugged.

"I know..."

"Everything'll be alright, Melissa. I promise," Ralph smiled.

Bert turned away from the article he had been writing for a moment to comment on the situation. "Boy, between you two trying to have kids and Melissa's father dying, there's a ton of drama going around here. It's as if we've been plucked out of the Evergreen Forest and placed right in the middle of an episode of _The Youthful and the Sleepless_!"

"Bert..." Ralph scowled, not amused by his friend's wisecrack.

"Sorry, sorry!" Bert nervously laughed.

"Let's try to think about more positive things, honey," Ralph warmly smiled at his wife. "Cedric and Sophia are going to have their baby any day now. Don't you want to see them have kids?"

"I guess so..." Melissa lowly replied. "What are they having anyways? A boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," Ralph shrugged. "Hey, Bert," he said as he decided to ask Bert. Bert had talked to Cedric more often than either he or Melissa had, so Bert would probably know. "Is Sophia having a boy or a girl?"

"I honestly have no clue," Bert shook his head. "Not even Cedric knows what they're having!"

"But how can that be?" Ralph replied, confused. "Didn't Sophia have ultrasounds performed on her?"

"Cedric said she did, but she had them done by herself...and she wants to keep it a secret until the baby's born. Only she knows what they're having."

"She's keeping it a secret?" Melissa interjected. "I wonder why that would be..."

"We'll find out soon enough," Ralph shrugged.

"Well, I couldn't do that, Ralph. I would at least want you to know what gender our baby would be..." Melissa said.

"I'm sure."

A few minutes later, the phone rang.

"I will get that," Ralph said as he picked the nearby phone up. "Hello, _Evergreen Standard_, Ralph speaking," he answered the phone with his overused reply. Ralph had a bad habit of answering phones with that reply even when he wasn't working...

"Ah, hello, Ralph," a familiar high-pitched voice replied. It was none other than Cedric.

"Oh! Hello, Cedric," Ralph cheerfully responded. "What's up at Sneer Mansion?"

"Uh, Ralph, I think you, Bert, and Melissa should get to Evergreen Hospital as fast as you possibly can," he hurriedly replied.

"Why is that?"

"Because Sophia just went into labor," Cedric quickly said. Sure enough, Ralph could hear Sophia screaming at Cedric in the background over the phone. "Cedric! Hurry up! We have to get to the hospital-I'm in a lot of pain here! AAAAIGH! You...you don't want me to have the baby here at home...or do you?" Ralph overheard her.

"Oh my. Well, not to worry Cedric. We'll be on our way. We know you would do the same if it were me or Melissa," Ralph nodded.

"I'll...I'll see you guys there! I have to hurry!" Cedric frantically shouted as he hung up the phone.

"That was Cedric, wasn't it?" Bert asked.

"Yep," Ralph nodded. "Looks like Sophia's going to have the baby today. No more work for us today-I think we should get to the Evergreen Hospital ASAP. We ought to be there for our old friend, right?"

"Right," Melissa nodded.

"Alright, let's get going, guys," Bert said as the raccoon trio headed for the hospital to meet up with Cedric.

Soon, they were in the hospital's waiting room. There, they saw the bespectacled aardvark sitting in a chair, nervously twiddling with his fingers.

"I see you're really nervous, Cedric," Ralph chuckled.

"Well, of course I am," Cedric hastily replied. "My wife is in the delivery room having my kid. I've never been so nervous in all my life. When it's you and Melissa's turn, you'll be just as nervous as I am now, Ralph."

"I'm sure of it," Ralph agreed. "I can only imagine what it would be like to be in your shoes right now..."

"I'm not wearing any shoes..." Cedric responded.

"It was only a matter of expression..." Ralph shrugged.

"What do you think you'll have, Cedric?" Bert asked his pal.

"A boy, a girl, it doesn't matter. I just want this experience to be over and done with so I can get my wife and my new kid back home. I don't really like the hospital that much at all..."

"I don't either," Ralph agreed. "You'll be out of here soon enough, I'm sure..."

"Just remember, Cedric, I've heard that labor can last many hours. You might be waiting for quite a while..." Melissa chimed in.

"Oh...I don't want to wait all day and all night..." Cedric groaned.

"Well, Nicole told me it took her sixteen hours to give birth to Lisa..." Melissa informed the aardvark.

"Sixteen hours!" Cedric was taken aback. "Oh, I can't possibly wait that long!" Cedric tried to calm himself down. "No. It'll be okay. It'll be okay, Cedric. Everything's going to be alright. Stop worrying yourself so much," he tried to reassure himself out loud.

"Cedric, no need to panic," Melissa said.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just trying to keep everything under control. I just wish I knew how Sophia was doing. I would be in there with her, but...I think it might be a little much for me to see a baby coming out of her..." he admitted, feeling a little bit embarrassed.

"I couldn't do that either," Bert said.

"No, me neither," Ralph agreed with his old friends. "Melissa and I have come to a little understanding about that."

"Oh, so does that mean you two are-" Cedric started, but Melissa quickly interrupted him.

"We're still trying, Cedric. We've been trying for five months and nothing yet. I'm hoping luck will smile on us soon," she tried to be hopeful.

"I'm sure you two will get lucky soon enough," Cedric encouragingly smiled.

"Well, I'm hoping it's sooner rather than later..." Melissa sighed. "The later I get pregnant, the less likely my Dad'll get to see his grandchild, because...he's dying of lung cancer," she admitted to the aardvark.

"Oh...Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that. Goodness. It seems like we're all losing our fathers so close together. Ralph, your father died last April, Pop passed away in July, and now your father is dying as well, Melissa." Cedric didn't know quite what to say. "That's so...strange. I wonder why our fathers are all passing away so close to each other?"

"My dad's still alive and well," Bert interjected.

"Well, outside of Bert's dad," Cedric corrected himself. "I just wonder why that is. But I'm sure your dad will live long enough to see his grandchild," he lightly smiled while still nervously twiddling with his fingers.

"I _hope_ so," Melissa replied, feeling quite doubtful about that. "How've you been doing since Cyril passed away, Cedric?"

"It's not been the same without him..." Cedric lamented. "I miss Pop a lot. But he wasn't in the best of health, and at least he isn't suffering and bound to a wheelchair anymore. He didn't really like that very much...I just wish he were here to see this. But wherever he is, I bet he's smiling seeing me about to become a father."

"I'm sure he is," Ralph nodded.

Hours passed and still no news came on Sophia. Bert wound up falling asleep with a magazine across his face. Ralph had sunk his teeth into a good book. Melissa was just gazing at the wall, still feeling rather unhappy and unsure about her future. And Cedric had failed to control his nerves as he had stopped twiddling with his fingers and had taken to biting his nails instead, something he had not done since he was a little aardvark. He couldn't help it. This was the most nerve-wracking moment of his life. "I wonder when they're going to give me news on Sophia..." he worriedly said aloud.

"Don't worry, Cedric," Ralph said looking up from his book. "When the baby's here, they'll tell you."

Finally, after almost seven hours had passed and it was almost nine o'clock at night, a nurse came into the waiting room.

"Mr. Sneer?" Nurse Peck, the familiar Irish feline nurse, asked Cedric.

"Yes, nurse?" Cedric anxiously replied. "How's Sophia doing? She's okay, isn't she? She was in a lot of pain when I brought her here..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Sneer. Your wife is doing great! We gave her some medicine so the pain wouldn't be so great. She's given birth and is doing just fine," Nurse Peck smiled.

"Whew!" Cedric exclaimed. "That's a relief!" Cedric stood up, as he realized that Sophia had successfully given birth, and now their child was here. "Okay, Cedric, you've been preparing yourself for this the last nine months. It's time to see your child for the first time," he said under his breath. "What about my kid? Is it alright?"

"Of course, Mr. Sneer! Your kids are doing just fine," Nurse Peck nodded. Cedric immediately noted she said 'kids', as in plural.

"Kids? What do you mean kids...?" Cedric asked, confused.

"Your wife gave birth to twins, Mr. Sneer! You're the proud father of two little bundles of joy," Nurse Peck cheerfully smiled.

Cedric almost had a heart attack hearing that he was now the father of twins. "W-what? T-t-t-t-t-t-twins...?" he sweated nervously.

"That's right! One's a boy and one's a girl. They're both healthy. Would you like to see them?" Nurse Peck asked Cedric.

"Oh boy..." Cedric said as he promptly fainted.

"I guess Cedric hadn't prepared himself to have twins..." Bert noted. He had woken up when the nurse had came in.

"Huh. So _that's_ why Sophia wanted to keep the gender of her baby a secret. She was having twins!" Ralph observed.

Nurse Peck helped Cedric to his feet. The raccoon trio congratulated their friend as the nurse took him to see his wife and his two new children.

"Well, that's good for Cedric," Ralph smiled. "Nice to see some happy news in the Forest. This is going to be quite the story, isn't it?"

"You bet," Bert nodded. "Although I feel a little bad for Cedric. He's gonna have to change double the amount of diapers and clean up double the amount of puke now! I don't think I'd want to be in his position..."

"I thought you said you wanted to have children someday?" Melissa curiously asked.

"I would like to, but I don't think I could handle having twins..." he admitted.

"_Huh. I__ wonder if Melissa and I will end up having twins?_" Ralph wondered. He knew that was not an impossibility at any age, but he remembered reading somewhere that if Melissa were to successfully get pregnant, she had an increased chance of giving birth to multiple baby raccoons at her age. "You think that'll be us soon, honey?" Ralph nudged Melissa.

"I'd like to think so..." Melissa lowly replied. Deep down, she didn't really feel all that happy for Cedric and Sophia. She should be happy for them for becoming the new parents to two beautiful children. But yet, she wasn't all that happy...

"_Will that ever be Ralph and me someday?_" Melissa wondered. She had begun feeling a bit frustrated as she felt for all the "special nights" they had spent together, she should have been pregnant by now, but yet she wasn't. She couldn't help but wonder...what if she and Ralph were to fail in their attempts to have children?

**END CHAPTER EIGHT**

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE:** Well, there's Chapter Eight for you. A very up and down chapter emotionally. Featuring Melissa's father revealing he has cancer and Cedric and Sophia having their child. Some really contrasting emotions there, right? Few notes for this chapter.

Melissa's father having cancer...that pretty much was an inevitability for his character. Remember every time he showed up in "Story of Ralph"? Just about every time he appeared he had a cigarette butt sticking out of his mouth. Lung cancer was pretty much a virtual inevitability with his character. As you see he continues to smoke anyways while he has terminal cancer. Live by the cigarette...die by the cigarette...old habits can really be hard to break. I know some people especially on deviantArt really liked Mike's character, and will probably be saddened to see Mike eventually passing away in this storyline. But he'll probably go down fighting, knowing him. If you like his character, you'll see more of him in "Fly By Night" because that takes place in the past...when I get back to it.

As for Cyril Sneer passing away from a stroke...I can legitimately see that happening. He yells at the pigs so much it's a wonder he hasn't worked himself up to the point of just giving out. They will probably lead him there eventually...

And yes, Cedric and Sophia have had their baby that it was mentioned they were having...make that babies! That was part of what caused Melissa to realize she wanted children in the first place. Welcome to the Evergreen Forest, little guys! So now they have a boy and a girl. If you're wondering what they'll be named...I already thought of that. I already have names I thought up for them. You'll see what I decided to name them in the next chapter and you'll see them show up in a couple places through the rest of this story...and if I write a story featuring future generations of our heroes, I think you'll definitely see them all grown up.

Well, that's Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine is going to be a rather _big_ chapter...not in length (well, all the chapters are big in length. That should go without saying), but in importance to this whole story. And Chapter Ten will be too. So much so that I don't want to give much hints for what you'll see in that chapter. All I'll give away is that you'll see Melissa at her most stressed and worried as she is feeling that she and Ralph may not be rewarded for all their efforts with children and Bert's last attempt to gain Lisa's attention...will he succeed or fail? I'm guessing the latter...Also, there'll be a bit of a cliffhanger ending...you'll see soon!


	9. Chapter 9: Stressful Times

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, this story is really moving along. So far, Melissa realized she was feeling depressed because she wanted to have children, but Ralph was not as sure as she was on whether or not they should try to have kids. Soon, however, his mother helped Ralph realize that he was being selfish and he finally agreed with Melissa that they should have children. He also decided that his wife was more important than his career, and over the past few months (story-wise) their relationship has strengthened. However, they have still not quite succeeded in their quest for children, as they watched on as Cedric and Sophia became the parents of twins (you'll see their names in this chapter and you'll probably see them next chapter). Melissa also received the sad news that her father was dying of lung cancer and within less than a year she would be the last of her family left alive; leaving the fate of her family blood's survival all up to her. In this chapter, we'll see Melissa at her most stressed as Ralph tries to reassure her, and Melissa and Annie Ringtail see they're not so different, in some ways. Meanwhile, Bert makes one last attempt at Lisa's heart...will Bert finally get a chance with Lisa or will he have his spirits crushed? You'll see...and also, this chapter will end with a cliffhanger. I'm not going to spoil it, you'll have to read on to find out...

Now, let's jump head-first into...

**CHAPTER NINE: Stressful Times**

Another month has passed in the Evergreen Forest. It's now November. The first snowfall has come to the Forest this year. While not all of the Forest's denizens loved snow, many of them did, and thus, many of them are enjoying the wintertime in the Forest. As a matter of fact, many of them are looking forward to Christmas, which happened to be just around the corner...but not all of them.

Melissa Raccoon was taking a walk along the Forest trail. Annie Ringtail was with her today, as today was a Saturday and she was out of school; thus, she was able to work alongside Melissa today on her photo assignment. Annie seemed to be eagerly snapping off pictures, occasionally commenting on what she saw. Melissa, on the other hand, was thinking about what had happened in the past month and what was upcoming...

"_Today's_ _November 2__3rd_," Melissa casually thought to herself. "_It's only two days until my birthday._" Melissa was about to turn another year older; she was about to enter the thirty-sixth year of her life. She was getting perilously close to being "over the hill". And still, her wish to become a mother had not yet come true. She and Ralph had kept trying to conceive, and still they had nothing to show for it other than one negative pregnancy test. Melissa couldn't help but wonder if she and Ralph would ever get the chance to become parents, especially after seeing Cedric and Sophia get their chance last month...

Last month, Sophia had given birth to pair of baby aardvarks at Evergreen Hospital. One was a boy who looked an awful lot like his mother. The other was a baby girl who bore quite a close resemblance to Cedric. The wealthy aardvark couple had decided to name their twins Cecil and Sylvia, respectively. Cecil was named for Cyril Sneer's adoptive father and thus, Cedric's late grandfather, while Sylvia was named after an aunt of Sophia's. They had since brought their children home and now were taking care of the twins at Sneer Mansion. "_It's kind of funny how Cedric was __so nervous when he first found out Sophia gave birth to_ _twins,_" Melissa thought, still slightly amused at how he had practically passed out upon finding that piece of information out. "_But he seems really proud to be a new_ _father._" Cedric and Sophia were having the pigs help take care of their twins when they couldn't be around...and Melissa could only wonder how _that_ was turning out. She couldn't imagine the pork trio being capable of taking care of a child, much less a pair of them...Still, Melissa couldn't say she was glad for Cedric and Sophia, because deep down she _really_ envied them...

Melissa knew time was running out for her to become a mother. Her chances were still pretty good; Dr. Hensley had said she and Ralph had about a seventy percent chance of successfully conceiving within a year's time. But she would be turning a year older in a couple of days. Normally, she would be most worried about Ralph possibly forgetting her birthday. But as he had become more attentive lately, Melissa didn't really think he was going to forget her this year. She was most worried about whether or not they would ever become parents. Her chances were going to start dropping dramatically with each passing year. Lately, she had started having bad dreams in which both she and Ralph were elderly and they were being mocked by their friends for never having children as they had failed in their attempt. Melissa shuddered just thinking about those dreams. But she was seriously feeling doubtful that she would ever get pregnant. She knew what that would mean if she would never have children. No getting to hold her new baby. No nursing her child. No singing her baby to sleep. No little voice saying "I love you, Mommy," and no hugs for her child. No tucking her child into bed at night. No good night kisses. No getting to hold her child's tiny paw as it waited for school..."_I wish I could trade place_s _with Sophia..._" Melissa sadly thought.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she had recently received the terrible news that her father was dying. She had tried to get him to stop smoking cigarettes when she was younger, but her efforts had been in vain. Mike had failed to listen to her, had continued smoking, and now he was dying of lung cancer. While she could never hate her father, she felt angry at him for not trying to quit. "_Why couldn't he listen to me?_" she scowled. Even though she tried to hide her sadness, deep down it was killing her. She was well aware she was about to be the last living Mulligan alive-and as she had given up her last name when she married Ralph, she knew that the survival of her family's blood all depended on whether or not she could get pregnant. But she knew even if she did, her father would probably never get to see his grandchildren..."_Oh, why does this all have to happen to me...?_" she sighed as a few tears started to slide down her cheeks.

At that moment, Annie commented on the scenery before them. "Look, Melissa! Evergreen Lake. I see a lot of couples are out ice skating together today. I bet you and Ralph have done that before, huh, Melissa?" Melissa did not respond. "Melissa? Yoohoo? You there?"

"Huh?" Melissa said, becoming aware of her surroundings. "Oh! Why, yes, Ralph and I have gone skating out here on the ice before. As a matter of fact, we were actually thinking about doing that sometime next week..."

Annie noticed the tears streaming down Melissa's face. "Melissa, you're...crying?" she asked, confused to see her crying. "What's the matter? Is something bothering you?"

Melissa hadn't even noticed she'd been crying. She quickly wiped her tears away. "Huh? Oh, no, nothing's bothering me, Annie. I just had something in my eye..." She didn't think she needed to discuss any of her problems with Annie. "_She's too young to really understand what I'm going through..._"

Annie looked skeptically at her. "No, Melissa, I think you were crying. Tell me what's wrong. I won't laugh at you," she said in a bit of a sympathetic voice.

"Alright," Melissa sighed. "Annie, I feel...sad."

"Sad?" Annie did not quite understand. "Why are you sad? Isn't it almost your birthday? That's supposed to be a happy time for you. It _is_ almost your birthday, right?"

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"Well, why would you be sad? At least Ralph'll get you something. Bentley forgot my birthday last month!" Annie frowned. "Oh, I can't believe him...I kept reminding him my birthday was coming up, and he forgot and got me nothing! I was at least expecting a present from him..." she shook her head, still in disbelief at her boyfriend's mistake.

"I remember, Bert said Bentley landed himself in a bit of hot water with you," Melissa nodded as she sat down beneath a snowy pine tree. "He's gotten me a few...questionable presents over the past couple of years. Last year he got me a bottle of cheap perfume that smelled...well...atrocious," she remarked.

"I know he has that habit sometimes. But last year he bought me a nice necklace he saved up the money for. I was hoping for something nice this year..." Annie shook her head. "It's alright. I've forgiven him for that. I just hope he'll remember Christmas..." She changed the subject. "But, anyways, what's the matter?"

"Annie, I'm sad because..." Melissa hesitated. "Well...I'm sure you've already heard about this, but...my father's dying."

"Your father's dying?" Annie felt sorry for Melissa. "Aww, I'm sorry, Melissa. I didn't know that."

"I thought Bentley told you?" Melissa wondered aloud.

"Well, he didn't. Anyways, I'm sorry to hear that. It must be pretty hard for you..."

"You don't know how rough it is. My father is dying of lung cancer. And..." she sighed heavily, "...once he's gone I'm all that's going to be left."

"All that's going to be left of what?" Annie curiously asked.

"All that's left of my family. Annie, I'm not sure you know this, but, my father and I are the last of a dying family tree. Outside of us, the rest of my family's dead and buried. My Dad's all I ever had growing up because my Mom died when I was just a baby. And once Dad's gone, I'll be the last living member of my family. The survival of my family's blood is all depending on me. I _really_ hate being in this situation..." she hung her head down.

"Ouch," Annie sympathetically replied as she sat down next to her mentor. "That really is a pretty tough situation. Well, I hope you'll be able to get through it, Melissa."

"I hope so too..." Melissa sighed. "I'm not so sure why I'm discussing this with you...I'm not sure you can really understand..."

"Actually..." Annie started to admit, "I sort of can understand where you're coming, Melissa. My mother's pretty much all I've got, too."

"But you come from a large family, Annie. I don't see how you could relate to me..." Melissa shook her head.

"Like I said, I can understand. My mom was abandoned by her family when she got pregnant with me. You know, I've never met my real father, and I don't even know what his full name is. I think my mom said his first name was Gary. Or something like that," Annie shrugged. "I don't know. But knowing how he treated Mom once he found out he got her pregnant, I don't think I'd _ever_ want to meet him. He didn't want me. And my mom's family didn't want her either. You know they threw her out when she got pregnant, right?"

"I know that," Melissa nodded. "After all, your mother and I are good friends."

"Yes, and she really didn't have it easy at all. I'm pretty impressed with my mom. You know, she could have just as easily dumped me off in an orphanage or left me on someone's doorstep for them to take care of me. Or she could have...you know...aborted me if she wanted the easy way out of being a mother," Annie cringed a bit at the thought that her mother _could _have done that. "But she didn't. She chose to have me and she chose to raise me all by herself. She really handled the responsibility quite well!"

"I'll definitely say," Melissa agreed. "You really have grown up quite well. Maxie has done a good job raising you." Melissa decided to change the subject. "How's Maxie doing, anyways? I haven't talked to her in a while. Have those self-confidence books I sent her helped her out any?"

"She's about the same as usual," Annie replied. "I don't think the books are helping her out very much. She still seems to be pretty...you know...sad. I feel pretty bad for her; I have a boyfriend and I know she would like nothing better than to have a man in her life...I kind of feel like I'm shoving it in her face..."

"Those old books didn't really help Ralph out much either when he was younger," Melissa noted. "I'm sure things'll change for your mother."

"I hope so," Annie said. "She _really_ loves Bert. She's thinking about writing him another letter for Christmas! Boy, you really gave her quite an idea there, didn't you?" Annie laughed.

"Looks like it," Melissa lightly smiled, still not feeling all that happy. "Maybe someday Bert'll come around and give Maxie a chance. Not that I have anything against Lisa, as she's my niece, but, well, she doesn't really love him. Maxie's a good friend of mine; I sort of have to pull for her. Maybe Bert will give her a chance someday." Melissa then wondered, how would Annie feel if Bert and her mother became boyfriend and girlfriend? "I just wonder, would you be okay with your mother dating Bert?"

"No, I wouldn't mind," Annie smiled. "I know my mom can be a real drag sometimes, but she's still my mom; I still love her for all she's ever done for me. I want Mom to be happy. If she's with Bert, she won't have to feel sad and lonely anymore. I would love nothing better than to see Mom happy."

"I understand," Melissa nodded.

"Hey...if Bert and Mom start dating, maybe he might come live with her. That means he'd move out from your place. I bet you and Ralph would like that, wouldn't you?" she chuckled.

"It would be nice to have the Raccoondominium to ourselves, yes..." Melissa lightly nodded. She decided to change the subject back to what they had been discussing previously. "But I guess you're right, Annie. You and I aren't entirely different from each other. Both of us only had one parent in our lives; and that's all we really have for family. I guess you and I aren't all that different, after all."

"You know, I bet when I'm your age, I'll probably be a lot like you," Annie smiled. "No offense to Mom, but I wouldn't want to be in her shoes!"

"I'd be honored if you did grow up to be a lot like me..." Melissa sighed. "I still wish my father could live long enough to see my children..."

"You and Ralph are still trying, right?" she asked.

"Yes..." Melissa sadly nodded. "And still nothing yet...I'm beginning to fear Ralph and I aren't going to have children..."

"Well, I think I am a bit too young to really understand what you're going through there," Annie admitted. "I only just turned eighteen last month, and I don't plan on having any children until I'm married. And even then, probably not until I've solidly established myself at the _Standard._ It'll be sometime into my mid-20s before I even think about having children. But I know it's probably more than a little stressful for you trying to have children. But I'm sure you two will get your chance soon!" Annie sounded encouraging, but that did very little to cheer Melissa up.

"Annie, you have something I don't have: you have the advantage of having a lot of time. You can afford to put off having children now since you still have a lot of time left to have them. That's something I don't have. Well, Ralph and I _did_ have that, but we put our careers first and then forgot about it until this past year, so we ended up wasting most of the time we had. If Ralph and I don't have children now, then...then...we might not ever get to have any. But I'm just not sure Ralph and I can do it..."

"Well, as I said, I'm probably not the person you should be talking to be about that. But I'm sure Ralph will understand," she smiled. "He'll listen to you and probably do a better job of making you feel better than I can, don't you think?"

"I suppose..." Melissa sighed. "Speaking of Ralph, I think we should get back to the _Standard_'s office right about now..."

"Did we get enough photos for the article?" Annie asked.

"We should have. Come on, Annie. Let's go," Melissa said as the pair got up and headed back for the _Standard_'s office.

Melissa knew she needed to voice her fears to her husband. Annie was probably right; Ralph would probably understand her. But she still wasn't sure she needed to get Ralph worrying too...

* * *

><p>It's a Monday night in the Evergreen Forest. Most of the Forest's residents are in their beds at this time of the night, past 11:00. But not all of them...<p>

Bert Raccoon was sitting on a couch in the living room of the Raccoondominium. Currently, he was all alone as Ralph and Melissa were off at the movies together. Today was Melissa's birthday; she had turned thirty-six years old. Bert found it hard to believe that Melissa was actually that old as she certainly didn't seem it. But, it was true, between he, Ralph, and Melissa, she was indeed the oldest. Ralph had spent most of the day with her and had taken her to the movies; they were probably due to come home any minute. Bert had his earplugs ready. He knew what the two of them would almost certainly do once they got back. Ralph always tried to have a "special surprise" for Melissa for her birthday...

Bert sighed as he flipped through the TV channels. Bert still secretly felt more than a little envious of his friends. Just last month, his dear friend Cedric had become a proud new father of twins. Bert had already seen Cecil and Sylvia Sneer a few times already. "I have to admit, Cedric's kids are pretty cute..." Bert said aloud. He couldn't wait to play with the twins when they got bigger. He felt certain they would probably love him. But Bert still wished he could have children. "I'm basically a big kid myself," he chuckled. "Some have called me a friend to all children!" It was true; children naturally seemed to love Bert; perhaps because they could easily identify with him. "_I would be a natural as a father...right?_" he thought. He felt certain he would make a great father. Yet, between he, Ralph, and Cedric, Cedric had become the first out of the three of them to become a father. And it seemed likely Ralph would get his chance pretty soon. It surely couldn't be too much longer before his friends finally told him they were going to have a baby..."_What about me...?_" Bert sadly sighed.

But Bert realized he was being silly. He couldn't even begin to worry about having children. Sure, he could always adopt, but it wasn't really something he wanted to do. But before he could even begin to worry about having kids, first he had to find a girlfriend, first. "_It's really funny..._" Bert sighed. "_I always figured by this stage in my life I'd probably be married with kids. I guess things don't __always turn out as you plan them..._" Bert had not been on a date in many years; it had been well over a decade since he had been with a woman. Bert still had hopes that his beloved Lisa would give him a chance sometime in the near future. But she had never shown any real romantic interest in him. To him, their relationship appeared to be completely platonic. Perhaps she had assumed Bert had gotten over his crush he had on her? "_Well, I didn't..._" Bert thought. "_It hurts not being with her...I love her so much..._" Lisa was still firmly occupying his mind at the moment. He had hoped she might come around soon, but to him, that no longer seemed likely. Bert felt he had to take action. Otherwise, he might not ever win his true love's heart. "_I gotta do something..._" Bert thought. "_But what can I do? I don't have a clue what to do..._" Normally, Bert would have no trouble brainstorming a crazy idea. But when it came to the subject of love, Bert just didn't have a clue...

At that moment, a knock came at the door. "Bet that's Ralphie boy and Melissa," Bert said as he pulled himself up from the couch and made his way to the door.

Sure enough, Ralph and Melissa were there to greet him. "Hi, Bert," Ralph smiled at his old buddy.

"Hey, Ralphie boy," Bert said, a bit unenthusiastically. "How was the movie? Was it any good?"

"I guess it was okay..." Ralph shrugged, "if you like chick flicks..." he sighed.

"Hey, you said I could pick the movie, Ralph," Melissa said. "I wanted to see that one. I thought it was pretty cute. Dave and Maureen really had to go through a lot to find each other," she smiled. Melissa couldn't help it. Even if she wasn't a "girly-girl", so to say, she was a total sucker for romance.

"I feel for ya, Ralphie boy..." Bert replied as Melissa glared at them.

"I did have a good time, honey," Ralph hurriedly said, flashing a smile at his wife.

"Well, I'm glad," she smiled back. "We had a good time..."

"We sure did," Ralph nodded. "C'mon, honey. Let's go upstairs, shall we?"

"Right behind you, Ralph," Melissa said as she followed her husband paw-in-paw up the stairs.

"Well..." Bert sighed. "Guess I'm gonna need those earplugs..."

After the couple arrived in their bedroom, Ralph took off his coat and hung it up on the rack. Melissa had tried her best to be happy today, but deep down she was sad. She had another nightmare in which she and Ralph had ended up childless, and she was feeling quite afraid those nightmares were going to come true. She sat down on the bed and sighed heavily.

"Oh, honey..." Ralph said in a rather seductive voice, "I think I've got a little birthday surprise for you..."

Melissa did not answer him. Ralph was confused. "Honey?" Still no response. Ralph turned around to see his wife sitting on their bed, looking rather glum; obviously she was unhappy about something. Ralph didn't understand what could possibly be upsetting her. "What's the matter, honey?" Ralph asked, sounding concerned.

"It's nothing much Ralph. Nothing you really need to worry about..." she said, trying to put on a fake smile. But she couldn't fool Ralph.

"It's not nothing, Melissa," Ralph said as he came over and sat next to her. "I can tell when something's wrong. Go on. Tell me what's on your mind, honey."

Melissa sighed. She knew she was about to discuss her fears on not having children with him. She didn't _want _to bother Ralph with all her troubles, but if he really wanted to know, she knew she had to tell him. "Okay, Ralph, I'll tell you..."

"Go on, Melissa," Ralph encouraged her.

"Ralph..." she began, "I'm worried that...that...that..."

"That what?" Ralph wondered.

"That our efforts to have children are all in vain..." she sadly replied.

"Why do you think that, honey?" Ralph didn't understand. They had only been trying for a little over six months...and she was already feeling doubtful?

"Ralph, I've had all these nightmares lately. They're really starting to worry me..." she replied.

"Nightmares, huh? What kind of nightmares?" Ralph said as he prepared to carefully listen to what she was about to tell him.

"In my dreams, Ralph, you and I are elderly and we've retired. We're sitting in rocking chairs in our house. Then, all of our friends show up here at the Raccoondominium with their children and future grandchildren. They all had grandchildren; even Bert. We were the only ones who never had any children because our efforts to conceive ended up all for naught. Everyone was laughing at us for not having kids...it breaks my heart knowing that could possibly come true..." Melissa hated that dream; she didn't want to discuss it. Ralph might laugh and think it was silly.

Instead, her husband quickly placed an arm around her, letting her know he was here for her. "Melissa, don't worry. I am positive that won't happen. We'll get lucky soon enough, I'm sure!"

"I don't feel as confident as you do, Ralph..." Melissa admitted.

"Why? You were so excited when we first started trying to conceive. You felt so confident we would be able to have kids. What happened?" Ralph didn't understand.

"Remember that false alarm we had, Ralph?" Melissa asked.

"Of course I do, honey," Ralph nodded. He felt that was a bit of a silly question to ask; he remembered that just as well as she did. "Why do you ask?"

"Because...that was a reality check for me, Ralph. I think I was too overexcited and overconfident. That made me realize our odds are not as good as I thought they were..."

"Melissa, our odds are still pretty good. We just have to keep trying, and eventually I think it'll pay off," Ralph tried to encourage her.

Unfortunately, Melissa continued to lament. "You've become more confident than I am, Ralph. I'll just say, for all the nights we've spent together lately, I probably should already be pregnant. And yet...I'm not. Let's face it, Ralph: we probably should have tried when we were younger. Maybe when we were in our early thirties instead of our mid-to-late thirties..." Melissa sighed as she hung her head down, feeling more than a little melancholy.

"Melissa, that little false alarm you had disappointed me, too, but I think you're taking it a little too hard. Besides, I don't really trust those pregnancy tests all that much. I think the doctor would be more accurate than those," he firmly replied. Ralph didn't really trust new technology all that much; and that happened to cover pregnancy tests.

"Maybe, but it's not just that. Sophia and Cedric just had their twins last month..." she sighed.

"Ah, I know. They're pretty cute, aren't they?" Ralph asked her.

"Yeah, they are...but, Sophia had a better chance of getting pregnant than me. She's younger than I am. I just turned thirty-six and she was thirty-one when she got pregnant..." Melissa continued to sadly lament. "I think we should have been trying at her age..."

"Just because we let our careers get in the way all these years, honey, doesn't mean we still can't have kids," Ralph smiled, trying anything to make her feel happier. "The doctor said you were still fertile, right? That means you still have eggs that could be fertilized..."

"I know," Melissa nodded. "I just can't help but feel time will run out for us before we get our chance...I wish we could trade places with Cedric and Sophia..."

"Melissa, you can't say that," Ralph informed her. "Then they would be the ones trying to have kids and struggling. That wouldn't be fair to them, would it?"

"No, I guess not..." Melissa lowly replied.

"They've had their turn at being parents. I feel confident soon, it'll be our turn, Melissa. It will happen soon. I promise," he smiled.

Much to Ralph's surprise, Melissa's reaction was quite hostile. "'I promise. I promise. I promise you, Melissa. I promise you we'll have children, Melissa. I promise!' Dammit, Ralph, do you realize those promises are _meaningless?_"

Ralph was surprised by her reaction. He didn't expect her to be snappy with him. "I'm sorry, Melissa. I didn't mean to upset you..."

Melissa felt bad for snapping at him like that. "No, _I'm_ sorry, Ralph. I don't know what just came over me. I'm really sorry. I'm just really stressed out right now..."

"I can tell," Ralph nodded. "Don't worry, I forgive you. But I don't think you need to stress yourself out so much. We need to be patient."

"I know...I'm just so worried..." Melissa replied.

"Don't worry yourself so much. You need to relax a little bit," Ralph smiled.

"You're right..." Melissa agreed. "But you can't really _promise_ me we'll have children. Promises don't create children, you know. For us to conceive, it all comes down to pure luck, you know. You have to catch me at _just_ the right time in order for me to get pregnant. Those odds might not be all that good..."

"You know, I never thought about it that way," Ralph admitted. "Maybe you're right, I can't really promise that. But we've spent a _lot_ of nights together lately. I think the odds are in our favor. Sooner or later, it has to happen. I think you just need to relax and be patient. Don't worry yourself so much over this. When it happens, it happens. I apologize if I'm repeating myself, but I think that's good advice to follow. We can't give up now, Melissa, we've come so far. We have to keep trying. Will you keep trying?" Ralph hopefully asked her.

Melissa thought for a moment, then lightly smiled. "Sure, Ralph," she said. "You're right. Perhaps I _am_ stressing myself out too much over everything..." she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed about everything she had told her husband..

"It's alright. We all have our moments of doubt. But it'll be alright. It's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Ralph said, in a very comforting voice.

"Oh, Ralph," Melissa said, placing an arm around him, "you always seem to know the right thing to say. Well, most of the time. Honestly, what did I ever do to end up with a sweetheart like you?"

Ralph had rarely heard Melissa have doubts that she was good enough for him. But he did like the compliment. "You changed my life," he smiled lightly at her. "I would never trade you for another woman, ever. I love you, Melissa."

"I know that, dear," Melissa smiled. "I have never had to worry about you cheating on me, Ralph. I had to with a lot of my old boyfriends. I guess you really _are _something special..."

"Well, if an attractive female newspaper editor came along..." Ralph mischievously laughed.

"_Ralph!_" Melissa shouted at him. She knew he was joking, but she didn't find that funny.

"Haha, I'm only kidding, honey. I would never do that. You mean too much to me; I wouldn't want to make you feel hurt and betrayed. I promised I would be faithful to you and I intend to keep that promise," Ralph smiled.

"Oh, I knew you were kidding...but anyways...thanks, Ralph...I guess I just got myself a little too worried..."

"No problem. I'd rather you be happy than depressed. Especially on your birthday. That's one day of the year you should be happy," he nodded. A bit of a sly grin soon appeared on Ralph's face. He still wanted to give her the little surprise he had for her. "I've still got a little surprise for you, honey, if you're interested..." he said, slyly winking at her.

"What kind of surprise is it?" Melissa asked.

"Well, Melissa, today is a very special day to say the least. Today's the thirty-sixth anniversary of the day a very special woman was born; the woman I love. My wife. And to show my appreciation for her and everything's she done for me," Ralph slyly grinned, "I want to show her just how much I love her. Will she let me do that?" Ralph asked.

"_Wow, Ralph. You really **can** be a naughty raccoon_ _sometimes..._" she thought. She was well aware what her husband wanted. But he had said it in a way that she found so sweet and sincere. Her husband's offer to share his body with her for her birthday was too much for her to resist. "Ralph, do you want to know what I think of that?" she asked.

"Of course I do," Ralph smiled.

Melissa proceeded to grab Ralph by his scarf and pull him in for a big kiss. "I am _definitely_ going to let you show how much you love me, honey. It's the perfect birthday gift," she cheerfully smiled.

"I thought you would like it..." Ralph cheekily grinned.

"Of course I do. Now, come here...you handsome devil..." Melissa said as she grabbed Ralph by his scarf again, pulling her lover on top of her. The raccoon couple wrapped their arms around each other in a loving embrace as they passionately kissed each other. After a while, they broke their kiss.

"Mind if I help you out of that jacket, Melissa...?" Ralph asked, pointing at her denim jacket she had yet to take off.

"Not at all," Melissa grinned as she allowed Ralph to remove her jacket. Ralph tossed it to the floor as the lovers embraced each other once again...

Downstairs, Bert took his earplugs out for a moment. He could hear his housemates in the throes of passion upstairs..."Oh yeah. They're at it again..." Bert sighed as he put his earplugs back in.

* * *

><p>It's a Sunday afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. It's now early December, and Christmas is quickly approaching for the Forest's residents. Many of them are celebrating, in their own way...<p>

Lisa Raccoon was standing in her front yard. "Seems we got quite a heavy snow the other night..." Lisa sighed as she was shoveling snow off her front lawn. It had actually snowed so much school had been cancelled that Friday. Lisa had gotten a three-day weekend. She couldn't wait for Christmas vacation; as much as she loved her job at Evergreen Elementary, it could wear her out sometimes...

"I hate snow so much..." Lisa sighed again. "It's such a nuisance. We always get it pretty bad around here. You know, I wish I lived somewhere else where it didn't snow so much..." Lisa tried to think of a place where it didn't snow so much. But there wasn't really anywhere in Canada where it didn't snow. "I guess I'd have to move down to the States..." she said as she scooped up another shovelful of snow. But then again, it snowed in most places in the USA. "Maybe some place in the American Southeast would be nice," she said to herself. "Maybe the Carolinas?" But then again, those places had awfully hot summers, or at least that was what people she knew who had visited there had told her. "Where can I go where it's about sixty degrees all year round?" Lisa didn't know offhand. Still, she was just idly musing to herself; she would never seriously consider leaving the Evergreen Forest...

At that moment, a familiar voice could be heard. "Looks like the snow got you pretty bad too, eh, Lisa?"

Sure enough, it was none other than her old friend Bert. "Oh, hi Bert! It definitely got my house pretty good. I've been out here a couple hours. I think I've got most of it cleared away, though," she smiled as she tossed another shovelful aside.

"I'll say! I spent most of yesterday clearing out the snow around the Raccoondominium. How was I to know that we were going to get a pretty bad snowstorm Thursday night?" Bert laughed.

"I sure didn't," Lisa chuckled. "So what brings you over here, Bert? Something's up, isn't it?"

"Well, not much," Bert sheepishly admitted. Bert had tried so hard to think of a plan to woo Lisa, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of any crazy scheme that might work. So Bert had a bit of a last resort idea in mind..."Are you free today, Lisa? I wanted to ask you something?"

"So far, I'm free. What do you want to ask me?" Lisa asked him.

"Lisa, I'd like to know if you'd like to play hockey out on Evergreen Lake. I don't think we've done that in years!" he laughed.

"You know, you're right. That would be pretty fun. I suppose Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa will be joining us?"

Bert knew that they could not join them. "Erm, I don't think so. You know the stomach flu's going around pretty bad lately?"

"Yeah," Lisa nodded. "I sure hope I don't get it. I heard it's pretty bad this year!"

"Well, Ralphie boy's got it," Bert said. "He's _really_ sick. He's been throwing up like crazy the past couple days! He's laid up in his bed right now and Melissa's taking care of him and keeping him company. She's trying to do anything to comfort him a bit."

"Ah, poor Uncle Ralph," Lisa sympathetically said. "Hope he gets better soon. Well, I guess we can't really play hockey with just two people, can we?"

"No..." Bert admitted. "But we could go ice skating out on the ice. How about it, Lis? What do ya say?"

"I guess that'll be nice," Lisa smiled. "Let me finish shoveling and I'll join you in a bit. Okay, Bert?"

"Sure thing, Lisa," Bert eagerly smiled. He couldn't wait to spend the afternoon with her. "I'll just go home and grab my skates! See ya in a few!" he waved to her.

"Bye, Bert," Lisa waved.

Bert hurriedly made his way back to the Raccoondominum to grab his snakes. As he headed for his bedroom, Melissa stepped out of her and Ralph's bedroom. "Back so soon, Bert? I thought you were going to spend the afternoon with Lisa?" she wondered.

"Oh, I am," Bert replied. "She and I are gonna go skating for a bit out on the ice. I have something I want to tell her!" he eagerly replied.

"You're going to tell her you love her?" Melissa asked. Bert seemed pretty bold.

"Yeah, I am!" Bert nodded. "I'm going to try to ask her out and see what happens. I think I might have a chance!" Bert seemed pretty hyped up.

Melissa knew how Bert acted when he first tried to gain Lisa's affection when they had first properly met each other. She felt Bert was setting himself up for heartbreak again. But she had to try to encourage her friend. "Maybe you do. Good luck to you, Bert. But try not to come onto her like you did when you met her."

"Don't worry," Bert said. "I learned my lesson from last time! It won't happen again. I think everything will turn out different this time," he grinned.

"Well, once again, good luck, Bert," Melissa replied. "_Poor Bert..._" she thought. "_He's going to come home heartbroken..._" she thought.

"Thanks. I think I gotta get going!" Bert said as he raced into his bedroom. He found his skates beneath his bed and quickly grabbed them as he ran down the stairs and dashed out the house.

Melissa turned back to her sick husband, as she sat beside him.

"That was Bert...wasn't it..." Ralph weakly asked her.

"Yes, it was. It seems he's going to try to ask Lisa out today..." Melissa nodded. "He's really quite excited!"

"Too bad he's not going to get her..." Ralph weakly replied.

"I know...poor Bert...he's going to probably come home in tears..." Melissa sadly replied. She felt bad for her friend.

"I bet..." Ralph replied as suddenly, his face turned green. "Melissa, get the trash can..." he said.

"Are you about to throw up again?" Melissa asked.

"Yes. Get the trash can!" Ralph shouted. Melissa quickly grabbed the trash can from the corner of their bedroom as Ralph proceeded to vomit his guts out in the trash can.

"_I'll probably get sick soon too..._" Melissa thought.

Meanwhile, Bert had reached the edge of Evergreen Lake. A few couples were out skating together. Lisa was not here. "Where is she?" Bert asked. "She told me she'd meet me here..." Bert soon grew impatient.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, Lisa showed up,

"There you are, Lis," Bert chuckled. "I've been wondering when you'd show up!"

"Sorry, Bert. I was a little late," she admitted. "I'm here now. I guess we're all ready to skate?"

"Sure thing, Lisa," Bert nodded.

"I'll admit, I'm not the best skater there is," Lisa said matter-of-factly, "I'm good at a lot of sports, but skating isn't one of my best. I did learn quite a bit from Sophia, though," she chuckled. "She's pretty much the master when it comes to ice skating!"

"Boy, is she ever," Bert remarked as they strapped on their skates.

Soon the two of them were skating together, having some fun with each other. Bert was just goofing around, spinning around rather aimlessly.

"I guess this is something you're not an ace at, Bert?" Lisa giggled.

"Of course I am! Nobody can beat Bert Raccoon: Ace Ice Skater!" Bert continued to spin around on the ice. "Watch me, Lis-AAAAUGGGHHH!" Bert spun headfirst into a snowbank at the edge of the lake and wound up buried in the snow with his feet sticking out, waving in the air.

"Oh dear," Lisa shook her head. She grabbed Bert by his feet and pulled him out of the snowdrift. Bert was a little...dizzy. "You okay, Bert?" Lisa asked.

"Hehheh, I think so," Bert said. "Where am I?"

"Evergreen Lake. We were skating together, remember...?" Lisa worried.

"Hah, of course I remember! I guess you're right, Lisa. Maybe I'm not much of an ace when it come to ice skating..." he sheepishly grinned.

The two of them had some more fun out on the ice, after which they decided to just chat with one another about things.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Bert?" Lisa smiled.

"Sure was," Bert grinned as he propped up against a pine tree. "Better than spending all day indoors with a sick Ralph!"

"I'm sure he'll get better soon, Bert," Lisa replied.

"Yeah, I know," Bert nodded. "I'm probably gonna get sick soon too, though. That kinda happens...when one of us gets sick, all of us end up getting sick..."

"Well, we wouldn't want that to happen, would we now?"

"Nope!" Bert said. "So I don't suppose you've seen Cedric and Sophia's kids recently?"

"Oh, little Cecil and Sylvia?" Lisa replied. "I came to see them the other afternoon. They're adorable, Bert! Really, they are. I'm glad for Sophia. She's really happy to be a mother!"

"Funny, because she didn't want to have children at this point in her life, isn't it?"

"Sometimes, it happens, Bert," Lisa interjected. "Like I said, I'm happy for her and Cedric. They're both pretty proud to be parents."

"I know," Bert said. "Hey, did you know Cedric fainted when the nurse told him Sophia had twins?"

"Oh, he did?" Lisa had to laugh. "Ha! Poor Cedric. That must have been quite a shock!"

"Sure was," Bert replied. "I'd probably do the same thing."

"So, anyways, Bert," Lisa changed the subject, "are Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa still trying to have a child? They've been trying for a good while now..."

"I think they will soon," Bert smiled. "I hope they do. They should get the chance..."

"I would be honored to teach my little cousin someday," Lisa smiled.

"Yeah..." Bert replied. He knew it was now or never. He had to try asking Lisa out. She would probably not ask him herself, so it was best for him to try now. This could very well be his last chance to win her over. "_Alright, Bert...you can do this...just don't come on too strongly..._" Bert tried to mentally encourage himself. "Lisa..." he began, "I have something I'd like to ask you."

Lisa became curious. "Go on, Bert. Ask me. What do you have in mind?"

"Lisa...are you free sometime this week?" he asked her.

"I should be in the afternoons. Why do you ask?" she wondered. "_Is he trying to...ask me out?_" she thought.

"Lisa...I'd just like to know...if..." Bert gulped, "you'd like to go out to dinner one night this week. You know...just the two of us..." There! He had asked her. He waited for her to respond.

Lisa smiled, which got Bert's hopes up. "Bert...are you asking me on a date?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I guess I am..." Bert blushed. He was still hoping she would accept his offer.

"You still have a crush on me after all these years, don't you...?" she realized. Lisa had always suspected Bert still secretly carried a torch for her this whole time; now she knew for sure.

"I...I kinda do..." he said, feeling a bit embarrassed to admit it to her. "I mean...I've never met anyone quite like you. I just want to know if...you would go out with me..." Bert crossed his fingers, hoping she was about to say yes.

Lisa's smile turned to a more serious expression. She knew she was about to disappoint Bert...but it was better to tell the truth than lie to him. "Bert...I'm flattered you still like me. You have really been a great friend to me this whole time. I don't think I'd have ever adapted to this Forest without your help. I'm grateful for all you've done; you're one of the best friends I could ever have," she said in a calm voice.

"Go on," Bert nodded, still hoped.

Lisa sighed. "As I said, you are a great friend, Bert...and I am a bit flattered you still care about me in that way. But..." she exhaled, preparing to tell Bert the news he didn't want to hear, "Bert, I don't feel the same way about you...I mean, you're a great guy and all, but I don't really see you as someone I could date. You're more like...erm, how can I say this...you're more like the big brother I never got to have. I would be honored to call you my brother. But, that's as far as my feelings for you go. I think it would be a little too complicated for us to really work out as a couple. Besides, I'm not really interested in a relationship with anyone at this time. I want to get myself solidly established on my own two feet first. I'm really sorry, Bert..."

Immediately, Bert's heart sank as his head drooped. That was exactly what he was afraid he was going to hear from her. He probably should have expected it, and yet...it still hurt. A lot. This hurt even more than when he had come on too strongly to her. This was total rejection. He now knew he would never have a chance with Lisa. She didn't love him. "I...I...I...understand, Lisa...I understand," the normally cheerful raccoon sadly replied.

"Bert, don't feel so bad...we'll still always be friends. I can promise you that. I would never trade our friendship for anything," Lisa smiled, hoping to cheer Bert up.

"Sure thing...Lis...We'll always be friends..." he sighed. "I think I gotta get going...I'll...I'll see ya later, Lisa..." Bert sighed as he walked away, heading for home, a huge hole where his heart was. His true love had just told him she didn't feel they could work out as a couple. He felt absolutely crushed. Bert rarely ever cried, but as he walked away, a couple of tears slid down his cheeks..."_I was a fool to think Lisa could ever love goofy ol' me..._" Bert sadly thought to himself as he slunk off.

Lisa felt so bad for Bert, but she knew it was better in the long run to tell him how she truthfully felt. Still, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. "_I know Bert just wants to find love..._" she thought, "_and h__e probably thought I was his best chance...maybe I should make i__t up to him somehow. Maybe I could find a girlfriend for him?_" she mused to herself.

* * *

><p>It's a calm mid-December morning in the Evergreen Forest. Quiet...peaceful...serene...and most of the Forest's residents are snug in their beds this morning, keeping warm.<p>

That was, until Melissa Raccoon's eyes fluttered open early that morning. It was just after 7:00. Melissa awoke to find herself feeling extremely nauseated. She had felt a little nauseous the past few mornings and it had gotten a little worse every morning. She had no clue why, but today, a sudden urge was coming to her...

Melissa noticed Ralph was fast asleep, snuggled up tightly against her, his arms wound around her waist. Melissa didn't really want to wake him at such an hour. He seemed so peaceful in his sleep; she even had to admit, she thought he looked cute when he was sleeping. But what was wrong with her took precedence over letting her husband get his rest. "Ralph, wake up," she said, nudging him with her elbow. No response.

"Ralph, get up. Please!" Melissa shouted as she nudged him harder. Ralph's eyes slowly started to open as he began to awaken from his slumber.

"Huh...what is it...honey..." Ralph groggily said. "It's so early in the morning...why do I have to get up now...? Let's go back to bed..."

"No, Ralph. I have to get up...now!" Melissa hastily exclaimed.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Ralph wondered. What was Melissa's problem?

"Yes! Ralph...I don't have time for this!"

"Huh?"

"NOW, RALPH!" Melissa shouted. Ralph immediately obliged as he released his grip on her. Melissa immediately raced out of the bedroom.

"What's wrong with her...?" Ralph wondered as he climbed out of bed to follow Melissa, only to hear the unmistakable sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom.

"Melissa...are you in there?" Ralph said as he knocked on the door.

"Ralph, don't come in here..." Melissa replied. Ralph could tell she didn't sound so well. It was pretty obvious she had just thrown up.

"Okay then!" Ralph said. "I take it you're not feeling so well, honey?"

"What do you think..." Melissa groaned from inside the bathroom. "I just...I just feel so nauseous..."

"I guess you got the stomach flu from me," Ralph chuckled.

"Looks that way..." she remarked from inside the bathroom. Melissa was clutching the sides of the toilet, still not feeling too hot.

"I reckon I'll have to take care of you like you took care of me earlier this week?" Ralph asked her.

"No...Ralph...I think I'll be okay. I might not have it as bad as you..."

"Huh." Ralph was confused. He wanted to go back to sleep, but not when his wife didn't feel so well..."Melissa, I'll be going downstairs to watch TV. Is that okay? I'll come check with you in a few," he asked her.

"That's fine, Ralph," Melissa replied. "I'll...I'll be down in a few!"

"Okay..." Ralph said as he headed downstairs. "It figures she'd catch it from me, doesn't it?" Ralph laughed. "I'll still take care of her..."

Melissa soon threw up again, which caused Bert to wake up. Bert had already caught the flu from Ralph, and he wasn't feeling too great either, although he was feeling a little better.

"Everything okay in here..." Bert said as he opened the door to find Melissa standing over a toilet filled with vomit. "Oh my!" Bert replied in shock.

"Bert! Don't come in here! I...I...I don't feel so well!" she shouted at him, pleading for him to leave.

"Alright, alright! I didn't know you were sick, Melissa," Bert said as he quickly shut the door and headed back for bed. "_That's probably the most unpleasant sight I've seen in a while..._" Bert thought.

Melissa was feeling a teeny bit better, but her stomach still didn't feel all that great. She quickly realized what must be wrong with her. _"Go figure..._" she thought to herself. "_Both Ralph and Bert were sick this week and I had to take care of them. It would figure I would end up catching the stomach flu from them..._" At least Ralph was feeling better. And Bert seemed to be getting better, too.

Speaking of Bert, Melissa felt sorry for him. Just as she expected, Lisa had told him she didn't love him and had politely turned down his offer for a date. Bert had been extremely sad when he came home that day. Getting the flu just added to his agony. She thought Bert deserved a chance at love, and it disappointed her to see her niece deny him that opportunity. Still, maybe there was hope for him..."_Maybe he'll gave Maxie a chance someday soon..._" she hoped.

Still Melissa couldn't really think much about Bert right now. Her attention was more firmly focused on her nauseated stomach. "_Great...I have the stomach flu..._" she thought, growling a bit. "Just perfect! I _really_ love being sick..." she sarcastically remarked to herself. That meant she was probably going to spend a few days in bed while Ralph and Bert helped care for her...Melissa hated lying in bed. She preferred to be out and about; as active as she possibly could. "These next few days are going to be wonderful..."

Suddenly, a realization hit Melissa. "_I should have had my period by now..._" Melissa thought. It was true. Her time of the month should have came and went by now, and yet...it hadn't. She suddenly remembered how Nicole had told her recently how she had discovered she was pregnant with Lisa...she had missed her period and had started vomiting...leading to a big mess that ended in her married to George and her family hating George's entire family. "_This might not be the stomach flu..._" Melissa suddenly began to realize. "_This could be morning sickness! Which__ means...I might be pregnant!_"

A happy expression came across Melissa's face. She had longed to have a baby for what seemed like ages now, yet had only been about a year. She and Ralph had been trying for almost seven months now and yet it had felt so much longer to her. Children seemed to occupy her mind most of the time, and the majority of her dreams as well. Her desire to have children had grown and grown; it was now so strong she felt it was threatening to drive her mad. But now, perhaps, her wish to become a mother was coming true. She might finally be pregnant.

But Melissa quickly stopped herself before she got too excited. "_For all I know...I could just have the stomach flu and I'm late having my period again..._" she thought, suddenly feeling a bit less excited. That was also a definite possibility. She already had a false alarm as she had missed her period about five months ago, and thought she was pregnant. Much to her dismay, her period came a few days late and she tested negative anyways. One false alarm had disappointed her enough already. "I don't think I can take another one..." Melissa sadly thought._  
><em>

Still, the possibility of her being pregnant was a very real one. "_You know, I don't care if it ends up being another false alarm..._" Melissa quickly made up her mind. "_I simply must find out. I have to find out if I'm pregnant._" Melissa knew there was one way to find out really quickly. She hurriedly opened the medicine cabinet above the toilet. Inside was a very familiar box..."Ah, here we are," Melissa said as she took out the box. "Pregnancy tests. Well," she said as she removed the last test from the box, "here we go. This is the moment of truth..."

Soon, Melissa was sitting down on the toilet. She had performed the test properly. Now she had to wait for the results. It would take a couple of minutes. But already, it felt as if it hours had passed. Melissa couldn't help it. She was filled with anticipation, wondering just what the results would be. Last time, it had been negative. This time...she didn't know.

"Who am I kidding..." she lowly said. "It's probably going to come back negative. I'm going to get disappointed again...It's just the stomach flu..." But it was too late to turn back now. She had already performed the test. "No, don't be like that, Melissa. Try to think positively. Maybe you will be lucky. Just have faith..." Melissa crossed her fingers, hoping for the best. "All I can hope is that I test positive..."

As she waited for the results, images of her possible future flashed through her mind. These thoughts had occupied her mind from time to time. But now, they seemed stronger than ever. She imagined singing a nursery rhyme to her child. She envisioned congratulating her child on getting good grades in school. She imagined going for a run against her child and winning against it, but still congratulating it for a job well done. She thought of her and Ralph going out to see a family movie together with their child. She visualized the three of them on a camping trip together. She imagined smiling as her child graduated high school, while feeling sad knowing her offspring would be leaving her shortly...

All these and other thoughts quickly flashed through Melissa's mind. Now was the moment of truth. She was about to find out whether or not they were going to come true. She got up from the toilet to see if the results had come back yet.

Melissa walked over to the counter and glanced at the small strip resting on the counter. Sure enough, the results had came back. Melissa took a good look at what the pregnancy test said...

"I don't believe it..."

**END CHAPTER NINE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So that was Chapter Nine! Only about five chapters left. I can't believe this story is going by so fast. I will say this story is definitely taking a different turn from what I originally envisioned...I was imagining a very dark and grim tale. But I figured I've written enough of those. So this story is lighter than what I originally envisioned. I think this chapter really was a bit on the emotional side. You really see how stressed out Melissa is. Anyways, just a few notes this time.

Yes, Cedric and Sophia's twins are named Cecil and Sylvia. You might be wondering why I chose those names. Well, Cecil sounded like a good name for a son of Cedric...Think about it. Cyril, Cedric, Cecil. Sounds like a nice stream of slightly fancy sounding "C" names. As for Sylvia...I can't really give a reason for that one. You didn't see them this chapter, but I promise you will in the next one. And in future stories, too.

Poor Bert, Lisa has finally rejected him once and for all. Though they will still end up remaining good friends, Bert will not be ending up with her in this story. You probably saw this coming, but I hope I didn't upset anybody with that. I actually _do_ like Bert and Lisa as a couple (I hope you don't get the feeling that I don't), but realistically...I don't think they would end up together. Bert is a little bit old for her (she was in high school when they met in "Spring Fever" while he had to be at least in his mid-20s...kind of creepy if you think about it), plus with Lisa presented as being really attractive...that would be a lot of competition. I wanted to do something different...and I think I've definitely done that. I'm perhaps the first person to not have Bert and Lisa end up together. But don't worry, they will still be friends. And Lisa will end up factoring into this story as well...you'll see how.

Yes, I guess I am now officially evil. I got you all wondering whether Melissa was actually pregnant or not, and just ended the chapter when she found out the results. You don't know what the test said yet...don't worry, I won't drag this out. Next chapter, you'll find out the answer...obviously I cannot give that away. I will leave it up to you, the reader, to guess, however.

So, I guess we'll be moving on to chapter ten soon. In that chapter you'll find...I'm not going to spoil what's in the next chapter. There are only a few questions I will leave you with: Is Melissa pregnant? Will her longing to have children come true? Will Ralph get to be a father like Cedric did? Will Bert overcome the pain Lisa's rejection left him with? Will he ever find love? Will I ever quit leaving you with these questions? The answers to all of these except for the last question will be coming soon...


	10. Chapter 10: Happiest Days Of Our Lives

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, so far, Ralph and Melissa have decided to try to have children. Melissa started out feeling extremely confident and felt certain that she would get pregnant within a short amount of time, but as months passed by, her confidence started to wear down as she got her hopes up only for it to be a false alarm. To top it all off, Melissa received the terrible news that her father was dying of lung cancer and had roughly a year left to live. She realized she was soon to be the only living member of her family left alive, and also realized that she was the only hope left for the survival of her family's blood. Stressed out beyond belief, she told Ralph she felt that the two of them would likely never have children. However, Ralph was able to reassure her and convince her that she should keep trying. Shortly there after, Ralph got sick with the stomach flu, and no sooner than he got better, Melissa appeared to catch the flu as well. However, she realized she had missed her period and realized she could be pregnant, prompting her to use a pregnancy test to find out whether or not she was pregnant. That was where we left off last time. You're about to find out what the results were. Will Melissa's wish to have children come true, or will she be crushed again? You'll see right at the start of this chapter...

Now we begin...

**CHAPTER TEN**: **The Happiest Days Of Our Lives**

It's a December morning in the Evergreen Forest. It's only a little more than a week until Christmas, and many of the residents are anxious to spend time with their loved ones celebrating the holidays. That, of course, included Ralph Raccoon...

Ralph was sitting on the living room couch, lying back and flipping through the TV channels looking for something good to watch. Normally, he would be asleep at this hour, but, circumstances had forced him to awaken far earlier than he would have liked. "_Po__or Melissa..._" Ralph thought. "_She's got the stomach flu. Seeing how bad I had __it last week, she's really in for a rough time..._" Ralph had been woken from his slumber by his beloved wife this morning, as she shook him awake and rushed into the bathroom where she had proceeded to vomit her guts out. "I hope she'll be okay soon..." Ralph hated for his wife to be sick. "_I'__m just waiting for her to come downstairs so I can take care of her._"_  
><em>

Ralph randomly flipped through the channels, looking for something good to watch while he waited for Melissa. Ralph was hoping to find the news station. "I can't help it," Ralph chuckled. "No matter what, I'll always be a pure journalist at heart..." He always did like to check the news to see what was going on in the world outside the Evergreen Forest. Sure, the _Standard_ rarely ever reported on world events, but if one was big enough, it might make a good story for the next issue..."Well, once Melissa gets better, that is," Ralph quickly said.

Presently Ralph came across a channel featuring a rather comfortable and moderately-well furnished room. A handsome looking lemming came walking towards the comfy-looking chair sitting in the center of the room. He sat down in the chair and turned to the audience, flashing a warm and friendly grin.

"Hello. I'm Lance Lemming," the lemming said to the audience. "You might remember me from such recent sci-fi B-movies such as _Aliens Abducted My Brain For Science _and _The Return of The Mummy's Mummy._ And of course, I'm sure all of you remember me from my many movies I once co-starred in with the lovely Miss Ingrid Bellamour. Once we were romantically involved, but we went our separate ways. Fate decided she was to be an environmental activist, while I have gone on to the much more glamorous and high-profile career of TV infomercials. But enough about my past life; today, I would like to talk to you about a new product I have been personally asked to hawk to the masses. I'm sure most of you guys hate the doctor with a passion. Can't stand his attitude? Terrified of needles? Well, worry no more! You never have to worry about visiting the ol' doctor again, when you purchase THIS!" Lance proceeded to pull out a small kit. "The Do-It-Yourself Home Brain Surgery Kit! You will never have to worry about costly surgery again, as the instructions are eas-"

Ralph shut the TV off. "Okay, enough of that. I think we can do without the news this morning," Ralph stated. "I can't believe Ingrid once dated Lance. What did she ever see in him? Someone as friendly and classy as her dating a total screwball like that?" Ralph shook his head. "Then again, I've never understood how Hollywood works...if anything, I think they should have called it 'Holly_weird'._ I think that's a good reason the _Standard_ doesn't have a celebrity gossip column..."

Ralph quickly took his mind away from the strange world of Hollywood and turned his thoughts to his sick wife. "_I'm already to care for her,_" he thought. Ralph had already gathered a blanket and propped a pillow so Melissa could rest on the couch. He had brought the trash can out in case she needed to throw up some more. And Ralph had even gotten her some food that would hopefully ease her ailing stomach. "_I have some soup and crackers ready for her,_" Ralph smiled. "_That should help her stomach problem out. It was the only thing I could __eat when I was sick without puking my guts out._" Ralph hoped she would get better soon, as he hated spending an extended time away from his job. But he had promised Melissa he would pay more attention to her. That meant taking care of her when she was sick. "_It might be good practice for when she gets pregnant..._" Ralph idly thought. He still felt pretty confident that the couple's efforts to have children were going to pay off pretty soon. Sure, he might have been rather overconfident when he told Melissa he felt sure she would be pregnant by the year's end back when he decided they should give this whole business of having children a chance. But he felt certain it couldn't be too much longer. Not this year, but next year perhaps...

Speaking of Melissa, she was taking an awfully long time upstairs. "_She said she would be down in a few..._" Ralph thought to himself. "_Well, it's been more than a few minutes. It's been close to half an_ _hour. I wonder what's taking her so long?_" Ralph suddenly started to feel worried for his wife. Was she _that_ sick? "_I think maybe I should go upstairs and __see if she's alright..._"

But no sooner than Ralph had got up from the couch to go check on Melissa, he was greeted with the sight of her coming down the stairs. Ralph noticed something odd...she was dressed for the day. Ralph was expecting her to stay in her nightgown today since she wasn't feeling so well. But instead, she had put on her sweater she wore in the cold winter months. She also seemed to be...grinning about something. Ralph could only wonder what.

Melissa reached the bottom of the stairs where she greeted her slightly confused husband. "Good morning, my dear," Melissa cheerfully said as she wrapped her arms around Ralph and gave him a kiss.

"Erm, Melissa..." Ralph backed away from her.

"Yes, Ralph?" Melissa asked him.

"Aren't you sick? It might not be a good idea to kiss me..."

"I thought that was a perfect way to say good morning," Melissa smiled. She seemed really cheerful. Why would she be so cheerful if she was sick?

Ralph shrugged it off. "I have some soup and crackers waiting for you in the kitchen. I figured that might help your stomach out a bit. You wouldn't mind if I go get that for you, would you?" he asked her.

Melissa shook her head. "Ah, Ralph, I don't think I need it. I still feel kind of nauseated, but it turns out, I don't have the stomach flu after all!"

"You...don't?" Ralph was confused. "Then what was all that vomiting about?" Something _was_ definitely up.

"Sit down, Ralph. I'll tell you," she smiled. The two of them sat down on the couch together.

"Alright, Melissa," Ralph said to her, "now what is it you want to tell me? Why were you so sick just a few minutes ago? What took you so long up there?"

"Well, Ralph," Melissa replied, "I have a little...surprise for you."

"A surprise...?" Ralph was intrigued, but jumped when he realized what she might be trying to imply. "Melissa, what is wrong with you! It's way too early in the morning! And besides, we can't fool around on the couch...Bert would catch us for sure!"

"I wasn't suggesting that," Melissa frowned. "Goodness. Sometimes, you _really _have a dirty mind, Ralph..."

"Sorry, sorry," Ralph apologized. "Well, what kind of surprise is it then?"

"Maybe it would be best if I showed you it," Melissa said, a broad smile appearing on her face.

"Sounds fine to me. Now, where exactly is this surprise?" Ralph wondered. He still wasn't quite sure what she was up to.

Melissa lifted up her sweater a bit as she proceeded to grab her husband's paw and placed it on her stomach. Ralph just gazed at his wife's belly, not sure what she was trying to get at. "Right here, sweetie," Melissa cheerfully grinned.

Ralph removed his paw from his wife's tummy. He had no clue what she was trying to suggest. "I don't get it...?"

"Think about it, Ralph..." she continued to grin.

"You're losing weight...?" Ralph replied, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.

"_Ralph!"_ Melissa shouted as she slapped him, a scowl now planted on her face. "Are you trying to say I'm fat?"

"No, no!" Ralph nervously replied. Melissa rarely ever slapped him...only if he said the wrong thing. "I think I deserved that. You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever known. I should know better than to make a comment like that..."

"It's okay," Melissa said, as the cheerful smile came across her face once again. "I forgive you. But think just a little bit harder, dear. What have we been trying to do for the better part of this past year?"

"Hmm..." Ralph quickly thought. "We've been trying to conceive, haven't we?"

"Yes," Melissa nodded, her grin growing in size. She had tried to think of a better way to tell him, but she figured it was best to just come out and tell him.

"_Wait a minute..._" Ralph thought. "_Is she trying to tell me...?_" He suddenly realized what Melissa was trying to tell him. "Are you trying to tell me...you're...?"

"Yes," Melissa happily said, as she started to choke up, tears appearing in her eyes. "Ralph...I'm pregnant!"

Ralph started to feel excited. "R-r-really?" he asked her.

"Yes, it's true Ralph. I'm really pregnant!" she joyfully said.

"Melissa...that's...that's...That's wonderful!" Ralph exclaimed as he extended his arms. The happy couple embraced each other in a huge hug as Melissa continued to cry tears of joy.

"Isn't this wonderful, Ralph? I'm going to have a baby!" Melissa said through her tears.

"I can't believe it, honey," Ralph said, starting to choke up himself. "I'm really going to be a father. I...I...I can't believe it!" Ralph said as the joyful raccoons hugged each other again.

"Oh, Ralph, I love you," Melissa smiled as she kissed her husband on his cheek. Ralph could not help but smile.

"I love you too," Ralph beamed at her. "I just can't believe it. My wife is going to have my baby."

"Ralph, thank you so much...you've helped make my wish to become a mother a reality..." Melissa said, wiping away her tears.

"I'm glad!" Ralph replied. Ralph was overjoyed himself. Melissa looked so excited, so joyous, so...happy. He had never seen her this happy in his entire life...the only time that really came close was when he asked her if she would marry him; that made Ralph feel happy too.

Suddenly, Ralph became suspicious. "Wait a minute, honey...how do you know you're pregnant?"

"I used a pregnancy test," Melissa smiled. "How else do you think I would have found out?"

"Well, I know that," Ralph responded, "but what exactly made you suspect you were pregnant?"

"Remember how I was vomiting a little bit earlier, Ralph?" Melissa asked her husband.

"Of course. I was all prepared to take care of you today," Ralph nodded.

"It occurred to me that I missed my period," Melissa stated, "and I remembered how Nicole told me how she discovered she was pregnant with Lisa all those years ago. She missed her period and started throwing up in the mornings. This led her to take a trip to her local doctor, where she found out she was pregnant."

"And that's how she and my big brother got married," Ralph added. "Golly. That was a _real _mess of a wedding they had..."

"I can only imagine," Melissa replied. "I have the test right here if you'd like to see it!" Melissa exclaimed as she produced a pregnancy test seemingly out of nowhere and tried to hand it to Ralph.

"Woah, woah, woah, honey!" Ralph said, stopping his wife. "I know where that thing's been...I don't think I'd like to handle that!"

"Oh, sorry, Ralph," Melissa said, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm just so excited right now...hehheh...Still, I think you should take a look at it, dear," she smiled as she held out the strip.

Ralph took a good look at the pregnancy test. Sure enough, there were two small red lines. Ralph knew that indicated a positive result. "Huh...according to this test, you're pregnant, alright," he smiled at her.

"I sure am, Ralph. You heard me in the middle of...well, having morning sickness," she chuckled.

"So _that's_ what that was?" Ralph cringed. "Not very pleasant..."

"It's supposed to go away the further along I am into pregnancy," Melissa replied. "Oh Ralph, these next nine months are going to be wonderful. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to become a mother," she smiled as she lightly hugged her husband again.

"Yeah," Ralph smiled. Still, Ralph couldn't help but be suspicious. He was rather suspicious of modern technology in general...and that included pregnancy tests. "_What if that pregnancy test is wrong...?_" That thought saddened Ralph. That would be even more crushing than the false alarm they had five months previously.

Melissa noticed the slightly concerned look on her husband's face. "Ralph, what's the matter...? This is a happy time for the both of us! Why aren't you happy? I thought you wanted this...?"

"Melissa...you know..." Ralph said, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of how to tell her, "it might not be a bad idea to stop by the doctor really soon."

"Well, that's understandable, Ralph. We'll be probably be making quite a few visits to the hospital for checkups," she smiled. "I'll probably be on a first name basis with some of the nurses!"

"Yes, but...Melissa, I think you should have a blood test done," Ralph casually asked of her.

"Why's that?" Melissa was curious.

"Well, Melissa...that pregnancy test _cou__ld _be wrong..." Ralph quietly said. "I think we should make absolutely sure."

Melissa was about to disagree with her husband, but then she realized that Ralph had never been all that trusting of new technology such as pregnancy tests. He was a bit old-fashioned and stubborn in his ways. He preferred the word of the doctor over the word of a pregnancy test. "_Besides, even though these tests are supposed to be highly accurate, there **is **a chance they could be wrong..._" The thought that the test could be wrong and she might actually _not_ be pregnant saddened her. Melissa cleared her throat. "You know what, Ralph? I think that is a good idea. While these tests are mostly accurate, I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to check with the doctor. Just to be absolutely sure."

"Of course," Ralph nodded. "I think we should schedule an appointment really soon."

"I'll be sure to call today," Melissa smiled. She figured that if she truly was pregnant, she would be making quite a few visits to Evergreen Hospital, so perhaps it was best to just get off to a head start.

* * *

><p>A few days have passed in the Evergreen Forest. It's now just slightly more than a week before Christmas. Anticipation for the upcoming holiday season is reaching its peak around town, and most of the residents are getting their shopping for the holidays out of the way. Some of the Forest's residents, however, had their minds on other matters...<p>

Ralph and Bert were sitting at their computers in the office of the _Evergreen Standard_. Both were busy writing up articles. This was the last issue of the year, as they always took the last two weeks of the year off to celebrate the holiday season. Sometimes, that meant they would have a flurry of news upon the arrival of the new year. But right now, there wasn't a lot exciting going on...

Ralph was thinking about the past few days. Yesterday, the two of them had gone to the Evergreen Hospital where Melissa had a blood test performed on her to determine whether or not she was pregnant. Ralph knew beyond a doubt this was a close to 100% surefire way to let them not whether or not they would be having their first child. They had been told that it would take about a day for the test results to come back from the lab. Ralph had tried not to let Bert get suspicious as he preferred that Bert not tell everybody in the Forest, so he had told him that he and Melissa were going for a nice walk through the winter wonderland together. About a half hour ago, Melissa had gotten a call that her test results had come back from the lab and she had headed off to the hospital. Now Ralph was just waiting for her to come back. It was a slow day at the _Standard_, and while Ralph was waiting, he was actually slacking off on his work-for once. He was playing a game of Minesweeper on the computer. Ralph had decided to see how the games on the computer actually worked, and so he decided to randomly play Minesweeper.

Unfortunately, Ralph wasn't good at Minesweeper at all. He clicked on a mine, causing the happy raccoon face at the top of the screen to turn into a dead raccoon face as he lost the game. Ralph had lost about twenty games in a row.

Bert glanced over from his computer at Ralph, and noticed his old pal playing Minesweeper. "You're slacking off there, Ralphie boy," Bert joked, "which is funny. You always criticize _me _for slacking off and playing games. Not so above it all, are you?"

"Erm, ah," Ralph tried to cover himself, "it's a slow day. I just figured I'd see how these games work. Funny, there always seems to be so many mines. Can you actually win this game, Bert? It doesn't seem to be possible to me."

"You want to know if you can win Minesweeper?" Bert placed a finger to his chin. "That's probably my least favorite game on these computers. I think you _can_, but I haven't done it. Of course you can if you cheat..." Bert winked at his buddy.

"That's not for me, Bert. You might cheat a bit at these games, but I can't do that." Ralph was bored of Minesweeper anyways, so he exited out of the game he was playing, which he had just lost.

Bert had a question he wanted to ask Ralph. He was a bit confused by their behavior the past few days. "Ralph, what was that phone call Melissa got all about, anyways? She said that was her father calling her, but I don't think that was..."

"It was her father, Bert. You know poor old Mike is dying of cancer; he just wanted to spend some time with his daughter. I let her out of work early so she could go spend the day cheering up her father," Ralph fibbed. He was trying not to let Bert catch on.

"Huh. Sure didn't sound like him...You two have been acting a little weird the past few days. Something you're not telling me, Ralphie boy?"

"No, of course not. Everything is perfectly fine," Ralph shrugged, feigning ignorance.

To his surprise, Bert actually bought it. "Eh, whatever, I guess..." Bert said as he sighed heavily. His thoughts had just turned back to the rather painful rejection he had recently received from Lisa. No matter how much he tried to cheer himself up, his thoughts just seemed to keep coming back to her...

Ralph noticed the sad expression on his old friend's face. "Bert, what's the matter?" Ralph asked, a little concerned.

"Nothing..." Bert said, failing to hide the sadness in his voice at all.

"Bert, are you thinking about Lisa again?" Ralph asked him. He knew Bert had really had his feelings hurt when Lisa rejected his love...he felt pretty bad for his friend.

"Yeah...I just don't understand, Ralphie boy. I just don't understand. I did so much for her. I helped her adjust to the Forest when she first moved here. I kept her off cigarettes. I helped keep her out of trouble. I was her close friend. And, for all I did, she didn't love me. I don't understand..." Bert sighed.

"Well, there are plenty of other fish in the sea, Bert," Ralph said, trying to cheer his friend up from his gloomy state. "Lisa's not the only woman in the world, you know!"

"But I don't think anyone will ever love me..." Bert moaned. "I just don't. Do you remember that bachelor auction we had a few years ago?"

"I sure do," Ralph nodded in reply.

"Do you remember who actually bought me?" Bert asked.

"Annie Ringtail, wasn't it?" Ralph vaguely remembered.

"Yeah, and I actually had to _pay _her to go on a date with me. But it was only Annie who bought me. I got bought by a little girl, not a woman. When I told them I wanted a 'peanut butter' date, that didn't catch the interest of any of the ladies. They all turned their noses up at me. Ralph...I think I've realized...I'm not the kind of guy women want..." Bert sadly remarked.

"Why would you think that, Bert? I'm sure there's a woman out there who would love to go out with you. I think there's someone out there for everyone, you know," Ralph smiled. Right now, Bert was reminding Ralph of what he had once been like when he was younger...he himself had once worried that no one could ever love him. That was, of course, before Melissa came along...

"I don't think that's true, Ralph..." Bert sighed again. "If that were true, there wouldn't be so many people alone in the world like me..."

"Well, maybe that's just because they haven't found their special someone yet?"

"No, Ralph...let's face it. I'm just a big ol' goofball. That's not what women want. They want mature men, men who can take care of them, handsome men. Not anything like me...I'm probably the last guy women would want to date..." Bert lamented.

"Bert...I'm sure there has to be some woman out there who would be more than happy to go on a date with you. You're forgetting there are plenty of lonely women around the Forest, too. Melissa gets letters from them seeking love all the time. Maybe that Maxie Ringtail might want to go out with you? I don't know her all that well, but Melissa tells me she is pretty lonely herself. You two are good friends, right?" Ralph was trying to think of anything that might cheer his friend up.

It didn't work. "Yeah...but that's all we are, friends. I highly doubt Max would seriously think about giving a goofy guy like me a shot...I mean she's a responsible single mom. Could we even possibly work out together?" Bert had no clue how oblivious he _truly _was...

"Well, you never know, Bert..."

"I doubt it, Ralphie boy..." Bert sighed again.

Ralph thought maybe getting Bert out of the office for a while might do him some good. "Bert, I think we need an interview with Lady Baden-Baden for the _Standard_. You know, about the Christmas festivities and such. Think you could do that?"

"Sure thing, Ralphie boy..." Bert said as he picked up his pad of paper and left the office, still feeling quite sad.

"Poor, poor Bert..." Ralph sympathized with his friend. "Lisa really hurt him...I sure hope he manages to pull himself out of his depression..."

Ralph's thoughts quickly turned away from Bert, and back to his wife. "Oh, I really hope those test results are positive and that pregnancy test turned out to be right..." he said aloud. "I want Melissa to be happy. She wants a baby so badly...I want her to have that chance." Ralph crossed his fingers. He felt pretty confident she would test positive again, but then again, he couldn't be entirely sure..."She should be back any second..."

Ralph suddenly noticed, to his horror, a blue screen had appeared on his computer. "What the?" Ralph quickly read what the computer screen told him. "An error has occurred..." He almost jumped out of his chair. "Oh no! I think I broke the computer!" He quickly panicked. "What did I do? I broke the computer! Oh...oh dear!" Ralph started to frantically race around the office. While Ralph was hardly anything close to an idiot, he was still a computer novice, and knew nothing about the Blue Screen of Death. "Is the computer going to blow up? No! Oh, what do I do? What do I do?"

Ralph continued to panic as he came to a quick decision. "This thing might blow up; I'd better do the safe thing and unplug it!" Ralph hurriedly reached under his desk and yanked the cords out from the power strip...

...just as Melissa came back. She was puzzled at her husband's bizarre behavior. "...Ralph?"

"Oh!" Ralph remarked, noticing his wife had returned. "Heheh...Hi, Melissa..."

"Should I even ask what that was all about?" Melissa remarked, raising her eyebrow.

"I...thought the computer was going to blow up..." Ralph sheepishly remarked.

"I won't ask any further..." Melissa said, deciding this was not a subject that should be delved into any further.

Ralph also decided to change the subject. "So, what did the test results say, honey?"

Melissa instantly smiled. "Guess what, dear? That pregnancy test was right this whole time. My blood test results were positive-so it really is true. I'm officially pregnant!"

"Whew!" Ralph felt relieved knowing now, for certain, that he and Melissa had successfully managed to conceive. "I feel kind of silly making you go through that blood test now...I should have trusted the pregnancy test..."

"Don't feel silly, Ralph. You just wanted to make absolutely sure," she smiled. "Ralph, I'm so glad we're going to get to be parents. I thought we never were," she smiled as she kissed him.

"Oh, I know. You were _really_ stressed out there for a while," Ralph laughed.

"I know," Melissa nodded. "But we actually did it, Ralph. We beat my biological clock!"

"We sure did," Ralph chuckled.

"I have a few more things I'd like to tell you, sweetie," Melissa smiled as she sat down across from her husband.

"Go on, tell me."

"Well, they said I'm a little over three weeks pregnant," Melissa grinned as she quickly draped her arm around Ralph. "Do you know what was a little over three weeks ago?"

Ralph thought for a minute. "A little over three weeks ago...that was...your birthday..." Suddenly, it dawned upon Ralph. "We must have conceived on your birthday!"

"I think so," Melissa grinned.

Ralph had to laugh. "I remember I told you I had a 'special' surprise for you that night. Boy, I sure didn't think it would be _that_ big of a surprise!"

"It's the best birthday present you've ever given me, Ralph," Melissa said as she placed her paw on her belly. "A little miracle of our love; a gift we can treasure for the rest of our lives. And it's growing in here right now, thanks to you."

"I'm glad you like the 'present' I gave you..." Ralph smirked.

"I _love _it already," she smiled. "Do you know what nine months from now is...?"

"Let's see...we conceived right at the end of November...it's mid-December...nine months from now is...September!" Ralph became excited realizing that. "Melissa...does that mean that...?"

"It sure does!" Melissa beamed. "Our child could be born on your birthday, Ralph! How cute would that be if your child shared the same birthday as you?"

"Now** that** would be something," Ralph chuckled. "Guess we're going to have to mark September on our calendars, huh?"

"Looks that way!" Melissa grinned.

"There's just one thing bugging me, Melissa...how exactly do we tell all our friends we're expecting a baby?" Ralph wasn't sure how they should tell everyone.

"I thought we could keep that our secret for a while, Ralph?" Melissa asked.

"With Bert...that will be very difficult to do," Ralph sighed. "A part of me would like to keep it our secret for a while too, but we already let everyone know that we were trying to have a baby...and now that we are going to have one, we're going to have to tell everyone that as well. What exactly should we do?"

"Hmm..." Melissa thought. Ralph was right; it would be hard to keep it a secret until later on. She knew she was going to be gaining a lot of weight over the next nine months...it wouldn't be too much longer before Melissa would be sporting a 'baby bump'. Their friends would definitely end up catching on that she was pregnant. It was better to let everyone know as soon as possible. An idea quickly dawned upon her. "Oh, I know Ralph! We can announce it to everyone at our Christmas party tomorrow! Do you think that sounds like a good idea?"

"Christmas party...?" Ralph was confused for a moment, but suddenly it hit him. He had agreed to host the big Christmas party this year...and he had forgotten about it until now."Oh, damn! The Christmas party's tomorrow and we don't even have the Raccoondominium fully decorated yet. Oh no!"

"Don't worry, Ralph," Melissa smiled. "We can get all the decorations up in time before the party tomorrow, I'm sure!"

"Well, alright. I suppose I'll have to help you out there, though?" he asked her.

"Well, the doctor advised me not to lift anything too heavy, so, yeah, I guess you'll have to..." Melissa nodded. "I guess that means I'll have to give the eggnog a skip too..."

"That's a good idea. We don't want to risk hurting the little one," Ralph smiled as the expectant couple hugged each other. They were embarking on a new chapter in their lives. With Ralph's help, a new life had begun developing inside of Melissa. And Ralph and Melissa couldn't wait until September when that new life would likely enter the world. But for now, they could hardly wait to tell their friends...

* * *

><p>It is late in the afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. The grown-ups of the Forest are heading home from work for the day. That, of course, includes Bert Raccoon...<p>

Bert was wandering aimlessly through the Forest. Today, he and Bentley were supposed to meet up at their old clubhouse where they would work on their increasingly bizarre novel. But today, Bert just didn't see the point. He was still feeling rather gloomy...

Bert was still thinking about Lisa. He just didn't quite understand why she would reject him. Why would she do that? After all he had done, how _could _she do that to him? Sure, being considered an older brother figure was nice...but Bert wanted to be more than that. "_I suppose I can understand why she might not be interested in dating..._" Bert sighed. "_I mean, she's been eye candy for almost every guy around here. I c__an see why she would be uncomfortable with dating..._" But still, Bert didn't fully understand. "_Still, I just don't understand. Why couldn't she have given me a chance? I would have been a lot more satisfied if she'd have given me just **one **chance...and she didn't even give me that..._"

Bert was still thinking about Ralph's words. Ralph felt confident Bert would find a nice girl who would love him and give him a fair chance. But Bert felt doubtful. He knew most women wanted someone who was either very handsome or very wealthy-perhaps both. But Bert knew he had neither of those. He had never been wealthy...and as much as he might imagine it, Bert knew he probably never would be much richer than he was right now. He didn't have his own house...he still lived with his childhood pal and his wife. Women weren't too keen on someone like that...many probably considered him a free-loader. Plus, he had been a womanizer in his youth...although those days were behind him, he wondered if the reputation he had gained from that was an influence too. To add to that, Bert knew he was nothing outstanding appearance wise. He was no Mr. Universe. He was about as average-looking in appearance as they came. "_W__hat woman would actually find me __attractive?_" he wondered. To top it all off, Bert had an active imagination...and all signs seemed to point to that being a huge turn-off for women as well. Women seemed to like men who were more firmly grounded in reality. "_Hell...everything about me seems to be a huge turn-off to the ladies..._" Bert heavily sighed. "_I have all the qualities to make me a __woman's worst nightmare when it comes to dating..._"

Bert was so depressed he didn't even realize where he was going. "OOF!" Bert grunted as he bumped into the front door of the old clubhouse. He rubbed his nose, which was a bit sore from bumping into the door. Bentley opened the door.

"Bert, there you are! You always seem to be a bit late lately. What's the matter with you?" Bentley asked his pal.

"Oh, not much..." Bert sighed.

As Bert stepped into the clubhouse, Broo greeted him. Bentley frequently brought his dog along with him when they hung out at the clubhouse. "Ruff, ruff!" the little dog barked at his former master, his tail wagging.

"Oh...hi, Broo," Bert sighed again as he stooped down and petted Broo. Bert then proceeded to sit down and rested his head on his paws as he stared down at the floor.

"Bert, what's the matter?" Bentley felt concerned for his friend.

"It's nothing little buddy, it's just...I don't think I want to work on our novel today. Matter of fact..." Bert hesitated, "I'm not sure I want to work on it anymore."

Bentley was surprised. Bert had been so eager to work on this novel and he had planned to see it through. Now he wanted to give up? "Why, Bert? Why do you want to quit?"

"Let's face it, Bentley...this whole novel was a dumb idea anyways. Who would want to read it anyways?" Bert griped.

"You don't really think that, Bert...do you?" Bentley asked, worried for his buddy.

"I don't know what I think..." Bert shook his head as he glanced up at the ceiling.

Suddenly, it dawned upon Bentley why Bert would be so upset. "Bert, are you still upset about my sister...?"

Bert almost immediately nodded his head, a distressed look across his face. "Yeah...I am...I can't believe she rejected me..."

Bentley felt bad for Bert. But then again, he remembered Lisa had once told him she saw Bert as a brother-like figure to her. He knew this was probably going to happen. Still, he felt sorry for his pal. He placed a paw on his depressed friend's shoulder. "Cheer up there, Bert. At least Lisa's still your friend, right?"

"Yeah, but that's all she is gonna be. My friend. I wish she was _more _than that..." A tear slid down Bert's face.

"_Wow...he's really taken it hard..._" Bentley idly thought. He felt he needed to cheer up his friend. "Well, you might feel bad right now, but I'm sure things'll get better!"

Bert's frown grew. "I just don't know, little buddy...I've never had my heart broken before...in fact, I had the reputation of breaking girl's hearts when I was your age. D'you think this might be my punishment for my womanizing ways when I was younger?"

"Bert, no," Bentley shook his head. "Don't think like that!"

"Well, I can't help but feel it's all my fault...if I were better than what I am, maybe she _would _love me..." Bert continued to pathetically lament.

"Bert, it's not your fault. It's not Lisa's fault. It's nobody's fault, really. You are who you are, Bert. You can't be someone different to make her love you. Maybe you two are better off as friends?" Bentley tried to encourage his friend.

"Maybe..." Bert sighed as he dried his eyes. "I just wonder if anyone will ever love me...I mean, I'm nothing much at all, really...nothing special..."

"Well, I might be considered a big nerd at school," Bentley groaned, remembering times he was bullied at school for being intelligent. "But Annie doesn't care. She loves me for who I am...even if I can be forgetful sometimes...I should have remembered her birthday. But I'm going to make it up to her for Christmas! Anyways, Bert..." Bentley cleared his throat as he continued, "as I said, Annie likes me for who I am. She doesn't care that I'm a, well, 'nerd'. I'm sure someone will like you for who you are!" As a matter of fact, Bentley _did _know someone who loved Bert for who he was..."_I know Annie's mother loves him,_" the young raccoon thought. "_Still, I hope Bert finds someone other than her...I can't help it. They just don't seem to go well together to me..._"

Those words did make Bert feel a little better. Hell...they probably were the wisest words he'd ever heard of his little buddy's mouth. "Well, I know you're always behind me, little buddy...Thanks."

"No problem, Bert. You've cheered me up when I was sad before! I should probably do the same for you once in a while..." Bert gave Bentley a small hug to show thanks.

"Ruff, ruff!" Broo barked at his ex-master. Bert understood what Broo was saying...he knew that Broo had said "It'll be okay, Bert!" Bert really _did_ feel a bit better knowing his friends were on his side.

"I guess you're right, Bentley...I guess I'll get over Lisa at some point...I guess we can be just friends. Still, I hope someone will appreciate me for what I am..." Bert sighed, still not feeling his best.

"Ah, I'm sure they will!" Bentley smiled. He just hoped it was someone other than Maxie Ringtail...

"Here's hopin'..." Bert lightly smiled back.

"I'm sure it'll happen soon. Besides, you shouldn't be sad. It's Christmas! They call it the 'most wonderful time of the year' for a reason, don't they?" Bentley laughed.

"You're right, it _is _Christmas," Bert chuckled right back. "My favorite holiday!"

"I know that, Bert. You've told me all about it how many times," Bentley replied.

"What d'you think you'll be getting this year, Bentley?" Bert asked his friend.

"Oh, I don't know. Probably just money and clothes from Mom and Dad. Lisa'll probably get me something...I know Annie'll have something good for me!"

"Go figure...she's your girlfriend," Bert rolled his eyes. He decided to change the subject. "Ya know, your Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa are having the Christmas party this year...you excited about that, little buddy?"

Bentley had some bad news for Bert. "Bert, I hate to tell you this, but...I'm not going to be at the Christmas party. You know Cedric and Sophia had their twins, right?"

Bert instantly nodded. "I sure did. Cute little devils, aren't they?"

"I guess, but you see, they wanted to go to the Christmas party, and they felt they couldn't leave Cecil and Sylvia home alone with the pigs," Bentley informed Bert.

Bert had to laugh. "I don't blame them. Those three? I feel sorry for their mother! Imagine...she had to raise all three of them!"

Bentley laughed too. "Poor Mrs. Pig. Well, anyways, guess who volunteered to look after the twins?"

Bert thought for a moment. "You did?"

Bentley shook his head. "No, Annie did. You know, she really likes babies, so she thought she would look after them. And she thought it would be a good idea if I came along with her."

"Hah, well, you like kids too, don't ya, Bentley?"

"Not as much as Annie does! While you'll be having fun at the Christmas party, I'll be learning how to change diapers. That's not how I wanted to spend my Friday night!" Bentley groaned.

"Ooh. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, little buddy!" Bert sympathized with his young pal's plight.

"I'm not fond of the idea, but it's what Annie wants to do. I guess if it'll make her happy...I gotta do it," Bentley said. "Sometimes we have to do things we really don't like for the ones we love!"

"You know Bentley, when you're my age, you'll probably be as wise as your Uncle Ralph," Bert chuckled.

"Maybe one day?" Bentley wondered.

"Who knows. Ya know, the funny thing is your aunt and uncle have been actin' kinda weird lately..." Bert was wondering what they could be up to.

"Weird, huh? How have they been acting weird?" Bentley asked.

"I couldn't say, really..." Bert had trouble explaining it. "Just the way they've been acting. Melissa's still been coming into work even though I remember I saw her...you know...throwing up the other morning."

"She and Ralph are really dedicated to the _Standard_, aren't they?"

"I guess so! Yesterday, she and Ralph took the day off from the _Standard _to go for a walk through the snow together..."

"I thought you told me they were trying to spend more time together?" Bentley asked. "That wouldn't be that unusual for them, I wouldn't think..."

"Well, no, but Melissa got called out of work this morning by her father. You know, he's dying of cancer, and Ralphie boy let her have the day off to spend it with him. But it didn't sound like she was talking to her father on the phone, and she came back to the office awfully fast..."

"I don't think she was there today, Bert. Annie was there this morning looking after Mr. Mulligan," Bentley informed Bert. It was true, Bert realized. Annie had offered to help Melissa out by looking after Mike when she had free time, since Melissa didn't feel she could spend all the time she would have wanted to with him. "You know, it's funny Annie is thinking about studying journalism, Bert. I'd think with all this looking after helpless people, she'd be considering a career in nursing!"

"Heh, Annie probably _would_ make a good nurse," Bert agreed. "Still, it'll be nice to have her aboard at the _Standard._ Always nice to have a fresh new face!" Bert changed the subject back to what they were discussing before. "So Ralphie boy lied to me...why would he do that? Who did Melissa have to see?"

"Beats me, Bert," Bentley shrugged.

Bert thought for a moment. He knew his housemates were trying to have kids..."_I don't suppose Ralphie boy finally got her pregnant?_" Bert wondered. That _seemed _likely to him. But, Bert felt it would be best not to pry too much into their situation. They would probably let him know in due time..."I guess I'll find it soon enough."

"I suppose you will. I think I gotta get going...I think Mom probably wants me back home by now," Bentley said as he got up and headed for the door. "You be sure to tell me all about the party, okay, Bert?"

"I will Bentley. Have fun with the twins," Bert said as Bentley and Broo left the clubhouse.

"That's going to be a fun experience for Bentley," Bert chuckled. He was feeling better after his talk with his little buddy. But he still felt a little empty inside...

* * *

><p>It's the Friday before Christmas in the Evergreen Forest. The holiday season is almost upon the Forest's inhabitants and they are eager for the much-anticipated holiday to arrive already. That, of course, includes Bert, Ralph, and Melissa Raccoon...<p>

Bert was reclining on the couch as Ralph and Melissa were putting the last ornaments on their Christmas tree. Tonight, they were holding their big Christmas party. Tonight's big Christmas party is a special occasion with all their closest friends being invited. Ralph and Melissa were especially excited about tonight's party, as Melissa could hardly wait to announce to all their friends the news of her pregnancy. It was funny. She and Ralph had been together just shy of fifteen years and had been married for what would be thirteen years. And only now, she was finally carrying the couple's first child. Well, it probably didn't look much like a child just yet, seeing as she was only a few weeks pregnant. But she knew it was there. She was still delighted that her wish to have children would be coming true. She was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their guests...

"I think that should be the last of it," Ralph said as he placed the star on top of the tree. "Any more ornaments, honey?"

"No, Ralph, I think that's all of them. I think we did a great job decorating this year!" Melissa beamed.

"We sure did," Ralph grinned. "This place looks fantastic, if I do say so myself."

"I concur," Bert agreed from the couch. "I think I did a great job stringing up the lights!"

"Yeah, after you got tangled up in them," Ralph chuckled.

"Heheh...I can't help it," Bert laughed. "I think I might lose my own head if it weren't screwed on tight enough."

"You seem to be in an awfully good mood today, Bert," Melissa noticed. "You were pretty depressed yesterday. What's up?"

"Eh, I figured I shouldn't think about such depressing things so close to Christmas-my favorite holiday, y'know," Bert smiled.

"We know, Bert," Ralph said. "You're always really excited about it."

"Heheh, I can't help it," Bert lightly chuckled. "I guess I'm just a big kid. I love Christmas-and everything that has to do with it! Besides, Ralphie boy, I guess Lisa and I can still be friends. Doesn't have to be anything between us, does there?"

"No, I guess not," Ralph replied.

"I'm sure you two will still remain really close," Melissa said.

"I'd like to hope so," Bert said as he laid back, placing his paws behind his head. Secretly though, he still felt quite sad that he had failed to win her heart and still was wondering if any woman could ever truly love him...

Bert had a few questions for his friend. "Say, Ralphie boy, I got something to ask ya and Melissa..."

"Oh? What's that now, Bert?" Ralph wondered.

"Why have you two been acting so...oddly the past few days?" he asked the raccoon couple. "It's been buggin' me."

"I don't think we've acted any differently than we normally have," Melissa quickly said, "have we, sweetie?"

"Oh no, no! Not at all. We're just the same as always..." Ralph put on a suspicious grin.

"You two aren't fooling me..." Bert said, suspiciously. "I know! You're keepin' something from me, aren't ya?"

"Okay..." Ralph admitted. "You got us, Bert. We haven't been entirely truthful, as there's something we haven't told you."

"Ah, I knew it!" Bert exalted. "So what have you two been keeping from me?"

"We can't tell you right yet Bert," Melissa fielded that question, "as it's...well, a bit of a surprise. But don't worry, you'll find out later tonight..." she fondly smiled.

"_A__h, I knew it!_" Bert mentally noted to himself. "_I knew it. Ralphie boy and Melissa are going to have a baby! I can tell just from how she said it._" Bert felt proud of himself for having figured that out. Still, he figured it was best not to pry further and get them to reveal that information right now. "Well, I can't wait to hear it. Hey, I just realized _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer _might be on! I love that Christmas special!" Bert eagerly flipped through the TV channels, trying to find _Rudolph _on TV. "Aw, they're only showing _The Year Without A Santa Claus..._"

A knock soon came at the door. "That must be our first guests! I'll get that!" Ralph opened the door to find his older brother George and Nicole greeting them. George was carrying a Christmas turkey with him.

"Ah, George, Nicole! Glad you could make it," Ralph smiled at his elder sibling and sister-in-law.

"Glad to be here, little brother," George grinned. "Boy, you really got this place decorated nicely for this party, huh?"

"We sure did, George," Melissa smiled. "Hi there, Nicole."

"Oh, hello, Melizza. It iz alwayz nice to zee a friend of mine," she smiled at Melissa.

"Bentley's not with you?" Melissa curiously asked.

"No, I am afraid not," Nicole shook her head. "You zee, he and Annie are off at Zneer Manzion looking after Cedric and Zophia's twinz. That iz awfully nice of them, wouldn't you zay?"

"I see," Ralph said.

"Yeah, Bentley told me that earlier," Bert piped in, "and he's not all that excited about having to change diapers!"

"Well, it will be good for him in caze he haz children himzelf zomeday," Nicole remarked. "I would like to have grandchildren..."

Soon, the rest of their guests came in. Next to come were Cedric and Sophia, who had brought their usual Christmas cake with them. Next to come was Schaeffer, followed by Maxie Ringtail, and finally, last but not least, Lisa arrived. Bert was still not too happy with how she rejected him, but he didn't want to appear bitter with her, so he decided to greet her.

"Hey there, Lis," Bert said as Lisa came in.

"Oh, hello there Bert," Lisa smiled. "Merry Christmas. Hope you have a good one."

"Hope you have a good one too, Lisa..." Bert remarked.

Soon, everyone was gathered in the living room of the Raccoondominium.

"Alright everyone, gather 'round!" Ralph announced to their friends.

"We have some rather important news we'd like to tell you," Melissa smiled. She knew they were about to tell everyone she and Ralph were parents-to-be.

"What have you got to tell us, little brother?" George asked. "Don't suppose it's something to do with the _Standard_, is it?"

"No, it has nothing to do with the _Standard_." Ralph cleared his throat. "As you know, this past year has been pretty up and down for Melissa and I. We've had some hard times, and some...good times, too."

"Don't I know it," Maxie remarked. "I remember when Melissa came to visit me when she was depressed all those months ago!"

"Yes," Melissa added, "and as you all know, earlier this year, we both decided we wanted to start a family. So we decided we would try to have children."

"You two have been trying for quite a good while now..." Cedric noted.

"Yes, but as of now, Melissa and I are no longer trying to have children," Ralph smiled.

"Why iz that? Did you two decide to give up?" Nicole curiously asked.

"No," Ralph grinned.

"Ralph and I are no longer trying, because we _are_ going to have a baby! You see...I'm pregnant!" Melissa beamed as she hugged Ralph, causing him to blush.

Almost immediately, everyone decided to offer their congratulations to the couple.

"Wow, that's wonderful, Melissa!" Sophia said in her typical bubbly voice. "I can't wait to see your baby! How far along are you?"

"Well, I'm a little more than three weeks pregnant," Melissa smiled. "Close to a month."

"Congratulationz, Melizza," Nicole smiled. "I know how much you have wanted to have children thez pazt year."

"I'm glad my wish is coming true," Melissa smiled.

"Congratulations there, Melissa," Maxie offered her support for her friend. "I told you you still had time left to have kids, didn't I?"

"You were right," Melissa smiled. "Thank you."

"Congrats, both of you," Bert smiled. "I kinda figured it out when you two said you had a surprise, though..."

"We made it that obvious?"

"Yeah, you did. But anyways, congratulations, you two. I know you will make great parents."

Bert then did something surprising...he stooped down on his knees and placed his head close to Melissa's stomach as he spoke to it: "Hey there, little guy! Can you hear me in there? It's me, your Uncle Bert. How are ya doing? Is it scary in there?"

Melissa couldn't help but giggle as everyone laughed at how childish Bert was being. "Oh Bert!" Melissa heartily laughed. "You know, the baby's not even close to halfway developed yet. Even if it was, I don't think it could hear you!"

"Never know..." Bert chuckled. "You'll still be able to come to work, right?"

"Of course!" Melissa nodded. "Although I don't think I'll be out on photo assignments as often as I usually am...I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot more time in the office."

"Congratulations, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa!" Lisa was the next to chime in. "It's going to really be something having a new little cousin..."

"I'd be honored if you taught our child, Lisa," Ralph smiled.

"So...it only took you fifteen years, little brother," George laughed as he nudged Ralph, "but you finally managed to knock her up. I'm proud of you-" Nicole proceeded to lightly punch her husband in the arm. "Ah! Honey, what'd ya do that for?" he said as he rubbed his arm.

"What did I tell you about watching your mannerz in public, dear? That iz not appropriate converzation for a time like thez," she growled.

"Sorry, sorry, honey," George sheepishly replied. "Still, I'm glad to see you're going to be a Dad, Ralph. I can't wait for the little guy to arrive."

"You'll see it soon, big brother..." Ralph answered George.

"Congratulations, Ralph and Melissa," Schaeffer was the next to speak. "I know you two have wanted children for a little while now, and I think it is always nice to see fresh faces around the Forest."

"Thanks, Schaeff," Ralph smiled.

Last to speak was Cedric. "Well, Ralph, I guess you're the next one to become a Daddy. I'm really glad to know our children are going to grow up together."

"Me too, Cedric," Ralph nodded. "I bet they'll be good friends like we were."

"I would like to hope so," Cedric replied.

"Here's to Ralph and Melissa and their new baby!" Bert said in a toast. "Let's hope 1997 is a good year for them!" The couple could not help but smile at how everyone was supportive of them.

A couple of hours had passed and the party was winding down. Per usual at parties around the Forest, everyone had gathered around to chat with their friends. Sophia and Lisa were having a conversation with each other in the corner of the living room. Bert, Maxie, and Schaeffer were talking to each other in the kitchen, while George, Cedric, and Ralph were discussing things at the kitchen table. Melissa, meanwhile was sitting on the couch as Nicole came to sit beside her.

"I know I zaid thez before, Melizza," Nicole began, "but again, congratulationz. Thez really iz going to be the start of the bezt experience of your whole life. Take it from a mother with more than twenty yearz of personal experience!"

"Thanks...Sis," Melissa smiled, calling Nicole "Sis" as she had long thought of Nicole being like a big sister figure to her. "You know, I was really starting to feel frustrated and I was almost ready to give up on ever having children. But I'm glad I stuck with it!"

"It will all be worth it in about nine monthz," Nicole smiled. "Zho, tell me, Melizza. How long have you known?"

"Oh, a few days," Melissa grinned. "You see, Ralph and Bert had the stomach flu pretty bad last week, and I started feeling a little nauseated too. Fact is, I've been feeling nauseous just about every morning for the past week, almost."

"Go on," Nicole remarked.

"So, Monday morning I woke up to find myself vomiting. I actually had to shake Ralph out of bed to make it to the bathroom. Then, I realized I missed my period, and I realized I could be pregnant. So I decided to use a pregnancy test. I was worried it was going to be a false alarm like last time, but lucky me, I tested positive! So Ralph suggested I have a blood test done just to make sure, and sure enough...I'm going to be a Mom!" Melissa still beamed talking about it.

"Ah...that iz the zame way I found out I waz pregnant with Liza," Nicole smiled at her close friend. "Well, we didn't have pregnancy tezts back then...but anyways, I am glad for you. I am juzt curious, Melizza. What do you think you will have? A boy or a girl?"

"Me?" Melissa replied. "Well, I have a feeling I'll probably have a girl...but if you asked me, I would love to have a boy. I've seen the strong bond Ralph has with his mother. I would love to have that kind of bond with a son of mine."

"Oh, I know. I love Bentley. I love Liza too, but Bentley iz my favorite child," Nicole smiled, remembering some of her favorite mother-and-son bonding times she had with Bentley. "Oh, I am really going to mizz him when he goez off to college next year...he'z planning to stay at the dormz..."

"I'm sure he won't forget his mother," Melissa responded. "I don't really care too much on whether I have a boy or a girl, though. I'll be happy no matter what we have."

"Az I zaid, Melizza, I would be glad to help you and Ralph babyzit, if you like."

"That would be fine. Although Annie offered to help as well back when we were still trying..." Melissa trailed off.

"I zuppose we could split time between uz," Nicole mused.

"That could work."

"Hello there, Mel. Hello, Nicole," a slightly tipsy Maxie said to her girlfriends. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Oh, no, not at all, Maxie!" Nicole said as Maxie took a seat on the opposite side of Melissa.

"Nicole and I were just talking about my baby. We were wondering what gender my child might be," Melissa informed Maxie.

"Well, I'm sure you've already heard this way more times than you might like, Melissa, but once again, congratulations," she congratulated her friend. "This _is_ what you wanted, right?"

"Of course it is!" Melissa smiled.

"I am sure you will do just fine as a Mom. If _I_ can do a good job as a mother, then you'll do phenomenally," Maxie smiled.

"Nice to have your support," Melissa nodded.

"Of course. But, you _do_ know you're only three weeks pregnant, right? You're still shy of a full month...and it takes nine months for most babies to be born," Maxie remarked.

"I know, a lot could happen in that time span," Melissa nodded.

"Maxie iz right, it iz a long wayz away..." Nicole added. "I am zure everything will be just fine, though!"

"I bet it'll pass by before I know it," Melissa replied.

"Well, you know since you're over thirty-five, you're more at risk for health problems right? You have a higher chance of...you know..." Maxie didn't finish, as Melissa realized what she was trying to say.

"Oh no, you're right! I _am _at a higher risk for miscarrying!" Melissa didn't even _want_ to think about what would happen if her baby died before it was even born. She knew in that situation she would be heartbroken. She and Ralph would have gone to all that trouble of trying to conceive, finally gotten lucky as she got pregnant...and _still_ not have gotten their chance to be parents. Melissa was well aware this might very well be her and Ralph's only chance of having children..."Oh no...I hope that doesn't happen..."

"Maxie, you are scaring Melizza," Nicole frowned. "Thez iz zupposed to be a happy time for her. She iz expecting to be a mother. You don't need to put thoze thoughtz in her head!"

"I'm sorry," Maxie apologized. "I think the alcohol from the eggnog's getting to me a bit...I hope that doesn't happen either, Melissa. I hope you make it through all nine months just fine."

"I hope so too..." Melissa said, a bit nervous.

"You cannot really worry yourzelf about that, Melizza. Whatever happenz, happenz. You juzt have to ride thoze nine monthz out," Nicole calmed Melissa down.

"That's fine...I am really excited now that I know I'm pregnant...but...I'm also kind of...scared knowing I have a child growing inside my belly," Melissa admitted as she placed her paw on her stomach. "I'm going to be spending the better part of next year with it developing in me..."

"You will be fine, I'm sure," Maxie informed her, "but you do know you're going to be going through a _lot_..."

"Oh...I know..."

"Maxie iz right. All we have told you about the experience of pregnancy really izn't a good zubztitute for the actual experience," Nicole agreed.

"You'll be gaining a _lot _of weight. It'll wreak a lot of havoc on your body. I know. I was a bit of a looker before Annie came along...and...I never even lost all the weight I put on from being pregnant with her."

"Well, Sophia seems to be losing her baby weight just fine," Melissa replied, although she was fully aware what was ahead of her. She knew she was probably going to get quite big as a result of the baby growing larger inside her...she was sure to gain a lot of weight.

"You might be able to lose that weight...**_if_ **you're lucky," Maxie forewarned her. "And just you wait until you start feeling the baby kick..."

"Well, that's a sign it's healthy, isn't it?" Melissa asked, though she knew she wasn't particularly likely to enjoy that sensation either.

"Yez, but it iz definitely not a lot of fun..." Nicole added.

"Let me just say, by the time you give birth you'll have gained an understanding for what life must be like for a football," Maxie remarked.

"This sure isn't going to be fun..." Melissa sighed.

"It izn't a lot of fun," Nicole agreed. "But you will still be excited az you wait for the little one's arrival. It'z all worth it for that."

"I know...like I said...I am willing to put myself through that..."

"You might have it better than me," Maxie said. "At least your husband will help you. He _did_ promise to help you out through this...didn't he?"

"Of course he did!" Melissa smiled. "I know Ralph'll help me every step of the way."

"It will make things a lot eazier for zure," Nicole nodded.

"Speaking of Ralph, I wonder what he, George, and Cedric are talking about?" The three women listened in. They could clearly hear George telling Ralph he was in for a rough ride the next few months and was forewarning him that his love life was about to come to an end for a long, long time, while Ralph was trying to shrug it off and Cedric was trying to tell Ralph it wasn't as bad as George made it out to be.

"Oh, go figure with George," Nicole rolled her eyes. "I have been telling him not to scare hiz little brother on thez whole buzinezz of becoming a father. But he didn't lizten to me," she sighed. "I will alwayz love him, but sometimez I wish he would lizten to me better..."

"Sometimes, I don't understand men..." Maxie added in, as she was thinking about Bert and the fact that he never seemed to notice her painfully obvious crush on him. She was still wondering if Bert would _ever_ give her a chance.

"Yeah," Melissa remarked. Her focus was more on what the next nine months would bring. She knew her and Ralph's lives would never be the same...but there was no turning back now. They had conceived like Melissa had wanted to and she knew they could not forget about the child she carried within her. She knew that while the next nine months would be an exciting time filled with anticipation, they would also bring some pretty difficult times to the both of them...and she also could not help but worry if her ailing father would live long enough to see her child born.

"_All I can say is this...1997 is going to be a_ **_very _**_interesting__ year..._"

**END CHAPTER TEN**

**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE:** And there's Chapter Ten...a very big chapter indeed. Our cliffhanger is answered...Melissa is indeed pregnant! This is definitely a radical change from how I originally envisioned this story...the original idea I had in mind was a grim tale in which Ralph and Melissa were unable to have a child as Melissa found out she was incapable of carrying children. But I thought that would be _far_ too heartbreaking to actually write that. So, I ended up being a _lot _nicer to them. Yes, I actually decided Melissa should get pregnant. Ralph and Melissa are a rather responsible and nice couple who I feel would definitely be actively involved in potential children of theirs' lives (unlike many, many modern parents who prefer to let the TV be their child's guide to the world), so I thought it would be nice to actually reward them. It's nice to see the happy couple expecting their first child considering some of the stress they've had to go through in this story. Just a couple of notes this time:**  
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Ralph reacting to the Blue Screen of Death on his computer...Ralph does seem to be like the type to be a complete novice at modern technology. I might have went a little far in having Ralph go to the point of thinking the computer might explode and yank the cords out, but I can definitely say I think he would have been panicking for sure. I can say when I was a new computer user, I definitely panicked when I got the Blue Screen of Death for the first time...I actually _did_ think the computer was broken (I didn't think it was going to blow up, I just thought I destroyed it somehow and got upset). The Blue Screen of Death probably _is _the most terrifying thing a new computer user can encounter...

As for Ralph playing Minesweeper...I did want to show Ralph is not always so above it all. He might criticize Bert for acting childish sometimes, but deep down I am certain there's probably a part of him that wishes he _could_ be more like Bert...somewhere. As for my thoughts of Minesweeper...I am not entirely sure why this game still comes automatically with the Windows operating system to this very day. I have never liked Minesweeper. The game is just about impossible to beat. I know it _can _be beat, but that requires a certain amount of time and effort I feel could be put to better use elsewhere. The only way I've ever won Minesweeper is by cheating and actually designing the board myself. (You actually _do_ have an option to do that...) Why they got rid of Pinball and kept Minesweeper is beyond me...especially since Pinball got replaced with two games, Inkball (a game not much better than Minesweeper), and Purble Place (an _extremely_ childish (I mean _way_ more childish than should be necessary) game).

And for why Bentley now owns Broo instead of Bert...I dunno, I could see that happening. I got the feeling at the end of "The Wrong Stuff" that Bentley and Broo were going to grow closer to each other after that episode. They seemed to have begun bonding with one another. Maybe one day down the road, Bert would give Bentley Broo as a pet. That would be an awfully nice gift, wouldn't you say?

Well, that's Chapter Ten. Next up is Chapter 11, as we start the third and last part of this story, as Ralph and Melissa go through the pregnancy experience as Melissa is in the early stages of her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Bert continues in his quest for love...and Maxie Ringtail feels more depressed than ever. You'll see it in a couple of weeks...


	11. Chapter 11: Times Have Changed

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, we've really come a long ways in this story. Melissa had felt a desire to have children after her friend Maxie had helped her realize the cause of her depression. But at first, Ralph was unsure of the whole idea, as he felt he would not make an adequate father to a child of theirs. In time, though, Ralph changed his mind and he and Melissa decided to try to have children. Months went by and Melissa began to feel that their efforts were in vain. But Ralph convinced her not to give up, and finally, in the last chapter, their efforts paid off: Melissa revealed she was finally pregnant with her and Ralph's first child. So, now we enter the last third of this story, the final five chapters, leading up to Melissa giving birth (I couldn't really make that a surprise, it probably should be obvious that is how this story will end). In this chapter, we'll see Melissa in the first few months of her pregnancy, as she begins to develop food cravings...and take a guess at what she'll be craving. We'll see if you guessed right...and we'll also see Ralph and Melissa trying to think of possible names for their baby. Meanwhile, Bert is still feeling lonely, and Maxie Ringtail _really_ lets her depression loose in this chapter, as we're getting close to resolving this whole Bert and Maxie sub-plot.

Are you ready? Let's take a dive into...

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: Times Have Changed**

Time is rolling along in the Evergreen Forest. The residents have said goodbye to the year 1996, and now, a new year is upon them once again-1997. This year looked to bring change and hope for many of the Forest's inhabitants, perhaps none more so than Ralph and Melissa Raccoon...

It was a cold January morning in the Evergreen Forest, about 2:30 A.M., where Ralph and Melissa were lying snug in their bed this morning. Normally, the both of them would be fast asleep in the middle of dreamland by this time, but Melissa was having a hard time going to sleep...

Melissa was thinking back on the previous year. 1996 had started off on a high note for her as Ralph had given her her very own weekly advice column for the _Standard_. She had seen "Ask Melissa" grow significantly to the point that her column was perhaps the most popular one in the _Standard_ at the moment; she received more letters than she could actually reply to for one issue alone. "_It's quite a surprise seeing just how many of the Forest's residents are having problems in their love lives..._" Melissa thought. But still, the advice column hadn't cured her depression. She had begun having dreams about children and was at a loss to explain why...until her friend Maxie recognized Melissa was experiencing a desire to have children. She became sad realizing most of her friends either already had or were on the verge of having children and she had none of her own.

So, she approached her husband with the idea. At first, much to her disappointment, Ralph did not agree with her and felt that they might be better off not having children. He did promise to give a lot of thought to the idea, even though she felt he was probably not going to change his mind. So it had been a pleasant surprise when Ralph had ultimately decided to give the whole idea of becoming a parent a shot after all. Her husband's decision to have children had ended up having a beneficial effect on their marital relationship. "_I know having children can cause some couples to separate or grow apart from each other,"_ Melissa thought to herself. "_But I think it has brought me and Ralph closer __together._"

The couple had experienced some disappointment along the way. Back in July, Melissa had missed her period and had suspected that she could be pregnant. She and Ralph got their hopes up...only for her to end up testing negative. It was a huge disappointment for both of them, one that _really_ brought Melissa down. She began to feel that her efforts were in vain and that she and Ralph had waited too long to try to have kids of their own. The situation worsened when her father, the only parent she had ever known, revealed to her he was suffering from terminal cancer and had not much longer left to live. Melissa began to feel hopeless, and even suggested that perhaps she and Ralph would be better off giving up as she felt they might be wasting their time. But her husband had encouraged her by telling her he felt sure children were within their grasp. "_Ralph can always bring my spirits up when I feel down,_" Melissa fondly smiled. "_That's part of why I love him so much._"

And he had been right. Just in time for Christmas, Melissa discovered that their efforts had finally paid off. She found out that after being with Ralph for almost fifteen years and having been married to him for close to thirteen, she had finally gotten pregnant. A month had passed since that, but Melissa's sheer joy knowing that she was now an expectant mother had hardly diminished. "_This is a dream come true," _Melissa happily grinned as she placed her paw over her belly. It was hard to believe, but it was true; just beneath her paw, a tiny new life was growing inside of her. She felt proud that she and Ralph were able to create a beautiful miracle together. "_I can hardly wait until the little one's here. This really is going to be a big year for me and Ralph,_" Melissa continued to smile.

Of course, she still had a lot left ahead of her before that could happen. Melissa was currently only about seven weeks pregnant. She still had yet to physically show signs of her pregnancy, but she knew it wouldn't be _too_ far down the road. She was sure to start gaining weight soon enough and the baby would be constantly growing larger inside her. It would surely be only another month or so before Melissa's belly would start to noticeably protrude. Melissa wasn't all that excited of the idea of being that large. "_Well, at least Ralph'll help,_" Melissa smiled. "_He promised he would. He's already been doing a good job so far. He will be a great father." _She still was experiencing morning sickness from time to time, but it wasn't quite as bad as when she had first discovered she was pregnant. Still, she did feel nauseated occasionally, although she knew that was a side effect of her body adapting to carrying a child within it.

Melissa had hoped she and Ralph could keep this a secret with their friends, but since Sophia had found out, that had proven to be impossible. She was the Evergreen Forest's resident gossip; it was to be expected she would spread the news of Melissa's pregnancy throughout the forest. "_I've gotten quite a few congratulatory letters from our readers,_" Melissa smiled. "_Even Lady Baden-Baden wrote us a letter congratulating me and Ralph._" It seemed wherever she went, she would bump into people congratulating her. Many of them also constantly seemed to have questions for her: "How are you doing so far?" "When will the baby be here?" "How's Ralph handling this?" "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" These questions did seem to be a bit of a nuisance, but she would usually answer them anyways. Nothing, it seemed, could diminish her happiness.

So it was odd that she was having trouble sleeping tonight. It wasn't that she _couldn't _sleep. She had fallen asleep, but had woken up...experiencing a very strong urge. Melissa...was hungry. _Very_ hungry. "_Oh boy..._" Melissa thought to herself as her stomach growled at her, begging for her to eat something. "_These must be food cravings..._" And to make matters worse, Melissa knew _exactly_ what food she was experiencing a strong desire for at the present moment.

"_I have no idea why..._" Melissa thought, "_but for some reason, I am feeling the strangest urge to eat some...peanut butter._" Melissa knew this was a horrible idea. Peanut butter was Bert's favorite food in the whole wide world. "_It would be very impolite for me to eat Bert's peanut butter..._" she thought. Bert would no doubt be very upset if she were to touch his beloved peanut butter. Common sense told her she should not eat any of it. But her stomach's voice was stronger than her common sense at the moment. Melissa could swear she could hear a small voice saying, "_Feed me._" She knew her baby needed nutrients to survive, and right now it was depending on her to provide it food so it could grow...

Melissa could ignore her stomach no longer. "_I have to eat something,_" she decided. But how would she get up without waking Ralph? Ralph was snuggled up quite tightly against her. While Melissa always found it very comfortable to snuggle with her husband, it made getting up in the middle of the night very difficult without waking him. She knew she would probably have to try to wake him up, but she knew Ralph would most likely _not_ enjoy getting up at this hour of the night...

"Ralph..." she softly whispered into his ear. "Ralph, get up. Get up, please?"

To her surprise, her husband's eyes opened about halfway. "Huh...what is it, honey...what do you want..." Ralph softly murmured.

"Erm, uh, Ralph, dear..." Melissa said, trying to think of something to say. "I need to go use the bathroom. Could you let me up please?"

Ralph closed his eyes again as he loosened his grip enough for her to slip free. "Erm, ah, sure honey," Ralph murmured. Melissa realized Ralph had not been fully conscious. She felt bad for fibbing to her husband, but she didn't really care right now. Right now, she was more concerned with satisfying her hunger...

Melissa crept out of the bedroom as she slowly snuck down the hall and down the stairs. Soon, she reached the kitchen. She knew she was sure to find what she was looking for here. "Alright..." Melissa quietly said to herself. "Let's just have a quick bite to eat and then it's back to bed...Ralph and Bert surely won't find out..."

Unfortunately for Melissa, she was feeling rather tired, and couldn't remember where Bert kept his peanut butter off the top of her head. "In the refrigerator?" Melissa said aloud as she opened up the refrigerator. "No...no peanut butter here. Hmmm...I wonder where he keeps it?"

Melissa started to search the cabinets before at last, she finally found what she was looking for. "Ah, here we are. 'Yahoo Peanut Butter'. Bert's favorite." There were about ten jars stored in the cabinet. Melissa quickly grabbed one of the jars and sat down at the table. "I feel so bad for doing this..." Melissa said, regretting what she was doing..."but I'm just so _hungry_." She had no clue why she would be experiencing a desire for peanut butter...unlike her husband, she _did _like peanut butter, but she had never longed for it like she was right now. Then again, Melissa knew that was a part of her pregnancy: she would be experiencing desires for foods she didn't normally eat...

Melissa opened the jar and took a spoonful of peanut butter out. "I'll only have a few bites to eat and then I'll put it back...I hope Bert won't notice some of his peanut butter is missing..." Melissa placed the spoon in her mouth. She was _not _anticipating how good it actually tasted to her. "Mmm!" Melissa uttered, savoring the taste. "I never realized peanut butter could taste so good...maybe I'll just have a few more bites..."

But before Melissa knew it, she had eaten the entire jar of peanut butter. "Oh no..." Melissa thought. "I couldn't control myself. I ate the whole jar!" She felt rather ashamed of herself for helping herself to her house guest's favorite snack. "I hope he won't notice one of his peanut butter jars is gone..." But Melissa could _still_ feel her stomach rumbling...

Meanwhile, Ralph was fast asleep in his bed, far off in the land of dreams...In Ralph's dream, he and Melissa were at the Evergreen Museum together with their child, who was now about eight or nine years old. In his dream, their child was a boy. Ralph felt pretty confident they would be having a baby boy, so it was natural he would dream about them having a boy.

"Alright, son," Ralph smiled to his young son. "Your mother and I brought you here today to show you the art exhibit here at the Evergreen Museum. Right, honey?" Ralph smiled at Melissa.

"Oh, of course! Prof. Smedley-Smythe has amassed quite a valuable art collection, Ralph! I think it will be good for you to see it, my son," she smiled at their child, who looked rather uninterested.

Presently, they came across a very oddball looking painting. "Look, son!" Melissa said. "That's a vintage Henri de la Possum painting. Isn't it fascinating?"

"No, not really," their son shook his head, showing no signs of interest.

"Son, aren't you excited to see the artwork? Art is pretty fascinating..." Ralph smiled at his son.

Their son shook his head. "No, Mom, Dad, I think this art is _boring_! Couldn't we go swimming or go play in the woods? Anything but being here looking at this dumb, stupid art!"

Ralph and Melissa were dumbfounded. "Uh, Melissa..." Ralph asked his wife. "What can we do to make our child more interested in the art exhibit?"

"Hmm..." Melissa thought to herself, but suddenly, they were interrupted by their son off in the distance.

"WOW!" their son said, standing before a statue. "Oh, baby! Check this one out! You were right, Mom and Dad. Art _is _fascinating!"

Much to Ralph and Melissa's horror, their son was standing before...

...a statue of a nude aardvark woman. The couple collectively gasped in horror together.

"AAHHHH! SON, NOOOOOOO!" Ralph shouted as he dashed towards the statue to drag his son away from the artwork, only for him to trip and fall headfirst into the arms of the statue...

Ralph awoke with a start. "Woah!" he said, surprised by that dream. "What an odd dream. I'm sure our child won't turn out to be _that _much of a hassle...will it?"

Ralph turned his attention towards Melissa. "Hey, Melissa, wake up, you're not going to believe the dream I had..."

...but much to his surprise, his wife wasn't there. "Huh?" Ralph was very confused. What was Melissa doing out of bed at this hour? He checked the clock. It was a little after 5:00 A. M. It would be a few more hours until the sun would rise. Melissa shouldn't be up right now. "Could she have gone for an early morning walk?" It seemed very unlikely, but she could have done exactly that. Ralph turned the light on and looked around the room for signs that his wife might have gone out for a walk. "Her sweater and jacket are still here..." he noticed. Ralph realized Melissa had to be here in the Raccoondominium somewhere; she wouldn't be crazy enough to go for a walk in the winter wonderland in just her night gown. _Especially _not while she was pregnant. "She wouldn't do something crazy like that that could risk harming her or the baby. I'm going to have to find her..."

Ralph snuck out of the bedroom and quickly checked the bathroom. No signs that his wife had been there. Feeling a little concerned, Ralph made his way downstairs. No sooner than he had reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed the light in the kitchen was on. "What's Melissa doing in the kitchen...?" Ralph wondered curiously to himself.

Ralph entered the kitchen to find his pregnant wife fast asleep at the kitchen table, snoring softly in her sleep. He noticed about ten emptied jars of peanut butter sitting on the tabletop...Bert's entire stash. And it was pretty obvious Melissa had eaten every one of them...she had peanut butter visibly smeared around her snout and on her paws. "She ate Bert's peanut butter...I guess this must be the start of her food cravings..." Ralph sighed.

Ralph walked up to his sleeping wife and gently tapped her on the shoulder. Melissa slowly stirred as her eyes slowly began to open.

"Huh...what...what's going on..." she muttered as she rubbed her eyes. The first thing she saw clearly was her husband standing before her.

"I see someone was hungry," Ralph chuckled at her.

Melissa let out a loud gasp when she noticed the empty jars of peanut butter before her. "Ahhh! Oh, uh...H-h-hi, Ralph! This isn't what it looks like..."

She couldn't fool her husband, however. "You ate all of Bert's peanut butter, didn't you?"

Melissa fully realized what she had done. "Yeah..." she said, her face glowing red in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Ralph...I didn't want to...I tried to control myself...but I was just so _hungry..._and it tasted so _good..._I...I couldn't stop!"

Ralph looked at her with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "If you're wondering, I'm not mad at you...although I can't say that Bert won't be. So these are food cravings, huh...?" he asked her.

"I think so," Melissa nodded. "Peanut butter's never tasted _that_ good to me before..."

At that moment, Bert slowly slunk his way downstairs. He'd heard Ralph and Melissa talking downstairs and had gotten up himself to see what was the matter. "Hey, I heard you two talking down here...what's going on...?" he yawned. Bert immediately noticed the empty jars of peanut butter on the tabletop. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bert screamed loud enough for likely the entire Forest to hear, as he dropped to his knees and picked up an empty jar of peanut butter that rolled off the table while Melissa was sleeping. "My...My peanut butter! It's gone! All gone! I never got a chance to savor its rich creamy goodness!" Bert then noticed Melissa had peanut butter smeared all over her face and on her paws. "MELISSA!" Bert shouted at her. "How...How could...How could you do this to me?" he said, aghast. "How could you eat my peanut butter? I thought you were better than that!"

Melissa felt absolutely ashamed of herself. "I'm _so _sorry, Bert...I was so hungry...I just couldn't stop myself..."

Ralph butted in. "Bert, Melissa was hungry. You know she's pregnant...well, she's having food cravings. She just happened to be craving your peanut butter."

"My baby needs to eat, after all..." Melissa added. "It can't grow if I don't feed it."

"Why does it have to be my peanut butter?" Bert said. Suddenly, he felt quite a bit less glad to be sharing the Raccoondominium with a pregnant woman. But it was best at this hour of the night not to argue with his housemates. He gathered his composure. "Ralphie boy, first thing in the morning, you and I are heading down to Willow's Store to go buy some more peanut butter."

"I understand," Ralph nodded. "We'll do that, Bert. For now, I think it'd be best if you got some sleep."

"Alright, alright," Bert sighed as he headed back for bed.

Melissa still felt embarrassed for what she had done. "Oh...I feel _so _ashamed of myself..." she lamented.

"Don't be," Ralph lightly smiled at his wife. "You were hungry; it's not really your fault. The baby needed food." Ralph took a good look at Melissa's sad eyes gazing at him. "You know, honey, you still look beautiful even with peanut butter all over your face..."

"Do I now?" Melissa lightly smiled. Ralph nodded at her.

"Why, thank you, Ralph," Melissa smiled as she gave her husband a small kiss.

"I'll clean that off for you if you like," Ralph said.

"No problem," Melissa nodded as Ralph got a cloth and cleaned the peanut butter off her face and paws. "I guess we'll have to recycle the jars..."

"Yeah, I know," Ralph nodded. "Tell you what, honey. If you're hungry for peanut butter, I'll buy extra for you tomorrow. That way, you and Bert can each have your own supply of it. How's that sound?"

Melissa did like the idea. "I think that will make Bert happy," she smiled. "It's a good idea, dear."

"Alright. Now come on, Melissa. We've still got a few hours before daylight. What do you say we go and snuggle on the couch together? What do you think?"

Melissa couldn't pass up an opportunity to snuggle with her husband..."Of course, Ralph. I would love to snuggle with you."

"Well," Ralph said as he took his wife's paw, "c'mon then, honey." Melissa smiled a bit as Ralph led her to the couch. At least her husband was willing to help her out through these nine months...

* * *

><p>It's a cold late February afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Many of the Forest's residents are coming home from work for the day. Bert Raccoon is among them, although today, he is taking a walk through the woodlands...<p>

Bert was thinking about the past month or so. Melissa's pregnancy was moving along smoothly so far. She and Ralph had already gone to Evergreen Hospital a few times for routine checkups to see how she and the baby were doing. So far, everything seemed fine. It wouldn't be too much longer before Melissa would have her first ultrasound performed on her to check the progress of her baby. The both of them still seemed to be pretty excited about the impending birth of their first child..."_Well, if all goes well, that is._" Of course, Bert didn't want anything bad to befall his old friends; he was quite happy for them.

What Bert was _not_ so happy about was what Melissa had developed cravings for. "_Of all the things in the world she could possibly acquire a taste for, it **had **to be peanut butter_." Bert was horrified that early morning when he found out that Melissa had gotten up in the middle of the night and had eaten all of his peanut butter. Luckily, he and Ralph had gone down to the store later that morning and picked up some more, but he was still pretty ticked off she had actually gone and done that. "_At least Ralphie boy bought extra peanut butter for her,_" Bert thought. "_Boy, she has been eating it like crazy, though! I thought **I **__was addicted to it...if anything she's been eating more of it than me!_" It seemed every time he turned around, Melissa was eating out of a jar of peanut butter...Bert would be quite glad when this was over and he could eat his peanut butter in peace again.

Bert himself was looking forward to the new baby arriving...it would be nice to have a new little friend to play with. Of course, he knew it would be a while before it would be big enough for him to really be able to play with...for most of the first year of its life all it would really do was eat, cry, poop, and sleep. He couldn't wait until it would be big enough...Speaking of children, Bert had decided to pay a visit to his friend Cedric and Sophia at Sneer Mansion to have a look at their twins again. While Bert was happy that his friends were becoming parents, he still felt rather sad inside...between he, Ralph, and Cedric, he was the only one who wasn't going to be a father. "_I'd love to have a kid someday...but first I have to find a girlfriend. It's time for there to be a Mrs. Bert Raccoon. But will that ever happen...__?_" It wasn't Lisa, he now knew...who could it be? He wasn't very sure there ever _would_ be a "Mrs. Bert Raccoon"...

Presently, Bert came to the front door of Sneer Mansion. He knocked on the front door, where hewas greeted by the three pigs.

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh, heheh, well, I just came here because I wanted to see little Cecil and Sylvia," Bert sheepishly remarked.

"Ugh, the twin terrors!" Floyd gasped. "Oh, they're such a handful!"

"I'll say," Boyd agreed. "So many messy diapers! How can things so small make such big messes?"

"I think I've gained a new found respect for Mom!" Lloyd groaned. It was clear they were having a difficult time having to look after the twins. "We've had a hard time looking after them for _five _months! How could Mom have survived looking after us for _twenty years?_"

"That bad, huh?" Bert chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it!" Floyd moaned. "Let's just say, I don't think any of us want to have children!"

"I'm sure it can't be that bad..."

At that moment, Cedric showed up at the door. "Oh, uh, hi, Bert! The pigs giving you trouble, I see?"

Bert shook his head. "Nah, they're just complaining about having to change the twins' diapers," he laughed.

Cedric chuckled as well. "Haha, they've been doing that pretty much the whole past five months. Well, come on, Bert. You called to tell me you wanted to see the twins, right?"

"Right," Bert nodded.

Cedric led Bert to the nursery, where Sophia was standing over a baby crib, watching her two baby aardvarks.

"Oh, hi, Bert," Sophia smiled. "I see you're here to see little Cecil and Sylvia."

"Of course, Sophia," Bert smiled.

"Well, Sylvia's asleep right now, but you're in luck, I was just feeding Cecil his baby formula." After a moment, Sophia handed the little aardvark to Bert for him to hold.

"Heheh. Hey there, little guy. It's me, your Uncle Bert. I came to visit you a few months ago, remember? You were really little then," Bert said to the baby boy.

Cecil just stared at Bert, not really reacting at all. Bert wondered what he could possibly be thinking.

"You don't remember me?"

At that moment, Cecil proceeded to start crying and squalling, which upset Bert.

"Uh oh. I think I upset the little guy," Bert said, feeling a little disappointed. "Hold on, I'll make this right!" Bert set down the baby aardvark and proceeded to make a really silly face at Cecil, sticking his tongue our and wiggling his fingers behind his ears. "Look at the funny face, Cecil! Don't you like the funny face?"

Cecil continued to cry. "Huh," Bert said. "What did I do wrong?"

At that moment, Bert, Cedric, and Sophia all proceeded to clench their noses as a horrible stench started to fill the room. "You did nothing wrong, Bert," Sophia quietly said. "It seems as though somebody had an accident in his diaper."

"I'll take care of this," Cedric said. "Pigs, get in here!"

At that moment, the pork trio came into the nursery. "Don't tell us, Boss," Lloyd groaned, "the twins had another 'accident'?"

"Well, Cecil did," Bert chuckled.

"I think he needs a diaper change," Cedric told the pigs. "Look after the twins for a little while, alright?"

"Grr...if I have to change one more smelly diaper, I think I'm going to lose my mind..." Floyd muttered under his breath as Bert, Cedric, and Sophia left the room.

"Huh, the pigs sure don't seem to enjoy spending time with the twins that much!" Bert noted.

"Well, just between you and me, Bert, I think they secretly do like looking after the twins," Sophia mused.

"Maybe," Bert shrugged. "I thought you took a course that taught you how to change diapers when Sophia was pregnant, Cedric...?"

"Well, I _do_ change diapers sometimes," Cedric admitted. "It's a _lot _easier having the pigs around to help out, though..."

Soon, the three were gathered in Sneer Mansion's study, just discussing how things were going for them.

"You know, I've already been here to see the twins before," Bert started, "but, goodness. Aren't they precious?"

"They sure are," Sophia smiled.

"I just can't wait 'til they're a little bigger," Bert grinned. "I mean, right now they're just babies. They're cute, but not really a lot of fun right now. When they get bigger, though..." Bert grinned, just imagining the twins being a little older. He was imagining Cecil and Sylvia taking turns going for piggyback rides on his back.

"I'm sure you'll be a great friend to my kids, Bert," Cedric smiled. "You seem to be a friend to pretty much all children."

"Hehheh, I know," Bert chuckled. "It doesn't hurt being a big kid myself. I guess kids can really relate to me!"

"So it would appear," Sophia nodded. "Bert, how are Ralph and Melissa doing? I know they're expecting a baby..."

"They're doing fine," Bert smiled. "From what they've told me, the baby is doing fine. I don't think I've ever seen Melissa so happy. She's _really_ excited about this!"

"As she should be," Sophia smiled. "At least she got the chance before it was too late for her!"

"Yep," Bert agreed. "She would have been _really_ sad if she missed her chance. Ralphie boy's pretty excited, too. Ya know, Cedric, he's about to enroll in that diaper-changing course you took!"

"It'll definitely help out," Cedric nodded. "Once you learn the basics, it's not so bad. That's not to say I enjoy the stench, though."

"Heh, who would?" Bert chuckled. "Ralph's handling it a lot better than I thought he would! I guess George was exaggerating when he said it was like hell on Earth handling a pregnant woman..."

"Well, it can be...trying...at times," Cedric lightly said as Sophia briefly glared at him. "But it's nowhere near as bad as George made it out to be. He did succeed at scaring the daylights out of me, though..."

"I do notice Ralphie's been tired a lot lately, though," Bert added. "Probably because he has to get up in the middle of the night pretty often to fetch Melissa some peanut butter..."

"So she's craving peanut butter?" Sophia had to laugh. "Knowing you, I bet you're not real happy about that..."

"Not particularly," Bert noted. "I'm going to be _really _glad when the little guy's here. At least Ralphie boy had the common sense to buy extra peanut butter for her. She's craving other things, too, but that's the main thing she likes now. I wouldn't be surprised if the little guy is born hungry for peanut butter!"

"Haha, maybe you two could become 'peanut butter pals'?" Cedric asked.

"Heh, maybe..."

"Well, it's really nice knowing our children will grow up together. I can't wait until their baby is here, too. I really want to see it; I bet it's going to be so cute!" Sophia smiled.

"Yeah, me too..." Bert sighed. "I kinda wish _I _could have kids too, though..."

"You do?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah, I hate to admit, but I'm kinda jealous of Ralphie boy...Seeing how happy and excited he is about all this, I kinda wish I could be in his position..." Bert sighed again. "That can never happen unless I find a woman who would want to have children with me, though..."

"I take it someone's still a little upset about Lisa?" Cedric asked his friend.

"A little bit, but I'm mostly over that, I guess...I mean, I've never felt this alone in my life. I find it pretty funny I went from being a real ladies' man, to well, being what I am now. A lonely goofball. Well, I've always been a goofball. But I've never felt this lonely..."

"Aw, cheer up there, Bert," Sophia said sympathetically. "You never know. Love could be just around the corner for you! It could happen at any time. I certainly didn't think when I was practicing my swan glides all those years ago I was going to bump into the man I would marry..." she smiled as she kissed Cedric.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just feeling a little doubtful it's going to happen..." Bert sighed.

"What about that person who wrote you those letters? I remember Cedric told me about those," Sophia stated.

"I don't know, I just don't know. I've tried to find out who wrote them. I was pretty sure it was one of my old high-school girlfriends, so I got in touch with a couple of them. But it wasn't any one of them. I'm at a loss here. A part of me is thinking someone is just playing a joke on me by writing me those..." Bert shook his head. "Now that wouldn't be very nice, would it?"

"No, but you never know," Cedric shrugged. "Maybe you'll find out soon enough."

"Maybe..." Bert shrugged as well. "All I can say is that I don't think kids will be on my plate any time soon."

"You could always adopt a baby from the orphanage," Sophia suggested. "That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?"

Bert shook his head. "I thought about it, and I don't think it's for me. I didn't really see how it could really work. When the kid gets a little bit bigger, he'd start asking me where his Mommy was. What would I tell him? And how would I tell him someday that he's adopted? I don't think I want to put a kid through all that..."

"Well, it's your choice, Bert; but every child needs a good home," Cedric replied.

"Yeah, I suppose. Well, I think I oughta be heading back to the Raccoondominium. It's gettin' a little bit late...I'll see you two as soon as I can. See ya, Cedric." Bert left the study as he headed for the front door.

"Bye, Bert," Cedric and Sophia said together.

"Poor Bert," Sophia remarked. "I sure hope he finds happiness in some way soon. It's a little sad seeing him not being his cheerful self."

"I know," Cedric agreed. "We'll just have to see how everything turns out for him in the long run."

* * *

><p>It's an early March afternoon, and once again, many of the Forest's inhabitants are heading home from work. Many of them are excited as spring is just around the corner and the winter cold will be left behind for another year. But not <em>everyone <em>is happy...

Maxie Ringtail was sitting on her couch, watching TV. Today she was alone as her daughter, Annie, was off studying with her boyfriend Bentley for one of their last high school tests before graduation. It had been a very long day already for her. As much as she truly disliked housework to the point of feeling like a practical slave to it, she always tried to get her spring cleaning done early. She had spent the better part of today vacuuming the house. "_It's not fun, but it had to be done..."_ Maxie sighed. She was just watching a bit of TV right now, which she didn't get to do very often. In only a couple of hours she would have to leave for her job at the Blue Spruce Cafe. It wasn't a _horrible_ job, but she wasn't very happy with it. "_I wish I had a better job...but what can I do..._"

Maxie's thoughts were currently fixated on the man she was in love with, Bert Raccoon, as they usually were. She had heard from him personally that Lisa had rejected his offer for a date. Maxie couldn't help but feel really bad for him, as she knew how much he had loved her. It was hard to believe Bert had gone to all that effort for her and she _still_ didn't accept his love. "_How __could she do that to him...? That's not right of her..._" But it was what had happened. "I think he really deserved her. For all the efforts he went to just for he I think he should have gotten her. She would be much better for him than I would..." Maxie couldn't help it. She had been depressed for years and it had only gotten worse recently. She hardly even saw Bert anymore...he'd only come to visit just a couple times over the past few months. Even though she felt bad for Bert having his heart broken, at the very least she had been hoping that Lisa rejecting him might bring Bert closer to her. But quite the opposite had happened...he seemed to have less time to visit her. "I miss his visits..." she sighed. "I would be very happy if he came to visit sometime soon..." Maxie had tried everything she could think of to try to get Bert's attention. Her good friend Melissa had suggested that she should write him letters and perhaps he might find out she wrote them and come to her. That didn't work as Bert was _still_ clueless as to who the writer of those letters was, even though she had tried to give him a few hints. Melissa had also suggested that Maxie might want to work on improving her self-confidence, so she had lent some of her husband Ralph's old books. They hadn't really helped either. "_Those books were so...stupid! They didn't help me one bit..."_ Maxie thought. "What can I do...?"

Maxie's thoughts then turned to her friend, Melissa. She knew her friend had wanted to have children for quite a while and recently, Melissa's wish had come true as she had gotten pregnant. Maxie was happy for her friend as she had gotten lucky and had managed to beat her ticking biological clock. But yet, Maxie realized that Melissa was having a much better experience being pregnant than she had. From what Bert had said the last time he had visited her, Ralph was helping care for her and making things much easier for her. Maxie had no one to help her since her family threw her out for getting pregnant. "I can't help but feel Melissa is a better woman than I am..."

At that moment, a knock came on her front door. "Hold on there, I'm coming!" she shouted as she ran to the front door.

Much to her surprise, it was none other than Melissa.

"Hi there, Maxie," Melissa smiled at her friend.

"Hello, Mel," Maxie said as she forced a smile. "You know, it's funny. I was just thinking about you..."

"You were, huh?"

"Yeah, I was. So, what brings you here?" Maxie curiously asked. "It's not often you pay me a visit. Lately, it doesn't seem like I get any visitors at all..."

"I was free and I just thought it'd be nice to drop by," Melissa stated. "Plus, Ralph is off at the gym. Today's the first day of his 'Basics of Fatherhood' course. You know, he could stand to visit the gym more often. I love him, but he could be in a bit better shape, you know," she chuckled.

"Oh, I noticed," Maxie nodded. "Say, I notice you're starting to put on a little weight yourself. I can see your belly's getting a bit bigger."

"Really?" Melissa was unaware that her pregnancy was becoming noticeable. "I know I've gained about five pounds already, but I didn't know it was noticeable yet..."

"Why don't you take a look in the mirror?" Maxie asked. The two of them stood in front of the mirror Maxie had hanging in her kitchen.

"Let's have a look..." Melissa said as she lifted up her sweater a little bit and took a look. Sure enough, she could notice a small bump starting to form on her stomach. "Huh, you're right. I can see I am starting to show just a little bit..."

"It's only a little bit now. But, you do know you'll be getting a _lot _bigger...by the time the baby's ready to come into the world, you're going to be _huge_," Maxie remarked.

"Oh, I know. Dr. Hensley advised that I would gain at _least _thirty-five pounds..." Melissa shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to be _that _big. I'll be even bigger than Ralph then!"

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky and drop the baby weight quickly," Maxie chimed in. "That said, I will assure you your body will never be quite the same again..."

"It doesn't matter to me, I'm sure Ralph will still love me, no matter what my body ends up looking like when this is all said and done," she smiled.

"Well, Mel, would you like to have some tea?" Maxie offered her friend. "I think I've got time for tea before work."

"No, but I _am _feeling rather hungry right now. You wouldn't happen to have any peanut butter, would you?" Melissa hopefully asked.

"Peanut butter, huh?" Maxie chuckled.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Seems lately that's what I've _really_ been craving since I got pregnant," Melissa lightly smiled.

"I bet Bert's not happy knowing that..." Maxie chuckled again.

"Oh, no, not really. He's not really all that glad to see me eating peanut butter as much as he does. At least Ralph has been buying extra peanut butter for me," Melissa giggled.

"That's nice of him," Maxie said as she got a couple of jars of peanut butter out of her cabinet.

"I suppose you save those for when Bert visits, don't you?" Melissa noted.

"You're right," Maxie nodded.

"Wow, you _really_ love him, don't you?"

"That I do..." Maxie sighed. "That I do."

Soon, the two friends were sitting at the kitchen table. "Alright, Melissa. I'll ask. How's the baby doing? I know you've a higher risk of health problems, seeing as you're pregnant for the first time in your late thirties..."

"Oh, the baby's doing fine! The doctor said me and the baby are healthy. I'm doing a great job so far. They say it should be born sometime in mid-September," Melissa cheerfully answered Maxie's question.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't mid-September when your husband's birthday is?" Maxie asked.

"Yes! It would really be something if our child was born on his birthday, wouldn't it?" Melissa beamed.

"I'm sure it would be," Maxie slowly nodded.

"You know, I'm really excited for tomorrow, Maxie. Tomorrow Ralph and I are going back to Evergreen Hospital for another checkup," Melissa continued to smile.

"Excited for a checkup? You're a strange one, Mel. I sure wouldn't be all that excited about visiting the doctor," Maxie remarked.

"Ah, but tomorrow, I'm having an ultrasound performed on me. Ralph and I are going to get to see our baby for the first time!"

"Oh, I see. I can definitely see why you'd be excited then," Maxie nodded.

"I think we might even get to hear its little heartbeat," Melissa grinned.

"That should definitely be something," Maxie responded. "How've you been the past couple months? Pregnancy is a bit of a difficult experience, you know..."

"I've been doing fine," Melissa smiled. "It's not been that bad so far. I don't really feel all that nauseous anymore, so I think the morning sickness is going away. That said, I have been feeling a lot more tired lately...I've found myself dozing off at the _Standard_'s office more than a few times recently. Plus all the cravings I've been having lately...it's been a bit of a hassle for Ralph."

"I bet. Remember, Mel, you're only a third of the way there. You've still got six months left, and I _guarantee _it will get worse..."

"I'm along for the ride, though. I'm willing to go through everything, as long as it means Ralph and I get to have a baby," Melissa confidently smiled.

"It is worth it for that," Maxie nodded. "How's Ralph handling things, anyways?"

"Ralph's pretty excited too," Melissa smiled. "It's funny. Last year about this time, Ralph seemed pretty terrified of the idea of having children. But he seems to be just as excited as I am."

"I see..."

"He's been doing a great job helping me, too. He's been kind enough to fetch food for me in the middle of the night. I know that's been a little rough on him since he doesn't really enjoy getting up in the middle of the night. But it's nice of him to be there for me when I need him." Melissa broadly grinned. "That Ralph. Such a sweetheart..."

"Yeah, if you say so..." Maxie sighed. She couldn't keep her depression to herself much longer. "Mel...I...I envy you..." she said in a rather sad voice.

"You...envy me?" Melissa was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Mel, I can't help but feel you're a much better woman than I am..." Maxie sighed, a rather despaired look appearing on her face.

"I'm a better woman than you are? What makes you think that?"

"Look at yourself, Mel. You had no problem finding a man. You told me a little bit of the story of how you two came to meet each other. Ralph was attracted to you like a mosquito to a bug zapper. I can't even get Bert to notice me. I've tried everything, I've flirted with him a little bit, I've written him letters, but nothing's gotten his attention..." Maxie looked like she was about to cry. "Why can't he notice me? Not even Lisa rejecting him has caused him to look at me..."

"Maxie...don't be so hard on yourself," Melissa said, trying to comfort her severely depressed friend. "You never know. Things might change soon enough. Maybe Bert will realize somebody special's been waiting for him the whole time?"

"I don't know about that, Mel..." Maxie sighed. "It's been _waaaaay_ too long since I've been with a man...I would love nothing better than to win Bert's heart. If I spend much longer alone...I...I think I'm going to go mad..."

"I know you've been depressed for quite a while, Maxie...I didn't know you were _this _depressed," Melissa remarked.

"I just can't help but feel jealous of you, Mel. You had no problem finding a good man and you've been happily married for many years. You have a much better career than I do, and you actually _love _your job. And to top it all off, you're having a baby under what might be the best possible circumstances...I had Annie under the _worst _possible circumstances. I feel like I'm worth...I'm worth nothing at all. You are a _much _better woman than I am...I'm not even sure why someone like you would want to befriend someone so...so...so _worthless_," Maxie finished, a couple of tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Maxie..." Melissa said in a comforting voice, "now, come on. You're not worthless..."

"I sure feel that way..." Maxie sighed.

"I don't see how I'm better than you. I know you've made a lot of mistakes in your life so far, but everyone makes mistakes. It doesn't make you a bad person, does it?"

"I guess not..." Maxie lowly replied. "I just feel so depressed...I wish my life were better than it was..."

"Well, there's really only one person who can make your life better, isn't there?" Melissa asked her saddened friend.

"You're talking about me, aren't you..."

"Yes, I am. You're the only one who can really improve your life. I can help, but that can only go so far. You have to make an effort to make your life better," Melissa informed her friend.

"What can I really do, though? I tried reading those self-confidence books, and they did nothing for me..." Maxie shook her head.

"I think you might need a little more help than those books. Or even me. I think you might need to seek some professional help," Melissa remarked. "Maxie, have you thought about seeing a psychiatrist?"

"Psychiatrist?" Maxie replied. "I have, but I don't know if I can see myself going through that...I thought I would feel embarrassed..."

"Well, I really think you should visit a psychiatrist, Maxie. You're in luck as we have one in the Forest. Dr. Roy Schroeder. His office is very close to Evergreen Hospital. Ralph and I pass it on our way there for checkups. I should mention, Dr. Schroeder is Bert's second cousin."

"He's Bert's cousin? Huh, I remember Bert saying he had a cousin who was a psychiatrist once..." Maxie remarked.

"Yes, that's him. I've met him before, he's a pretty nice guy. I think he will be able to help you," Melissa said.

"Aren't psychiatrists for people who have something wrong in their heads? I don't want people to think I'm crazy..." Maxie shook her head.

"It doesn't mean you're crazy, Maxie. I just have a feeling Dr. Schroeder will be able to help you with your depression better than I can."

"Would he really listen to all my problems, though?"

"Of course he will, Maxie," Melissa remarked. "He's a licensed professional; it's part of his job. He gets paid to listen to people just like you discuss their problems and help them out. I'm no professional, but I imagine he will be able to help you feel better about yourself."

"Well...alright, Mel. I think I'll give Dr. Schroeder a call and schedule an appointment. Maybe you're right...maybe he will be able to help me..." Maxie said.

"That's a start, Maxie. You're willing to give it a shot," Melissa smiled.

"Yeah. But...will I ever be able to get Bert...?" Maxie wondered.

"I don't know. I hope you do get him, but I think you should focus on yourself first."

"Alright..." Maxie said.

"I think it's about time to go pick Ralph up from the gym now," Melissa said. "I'll see you around, Maxie. You will give Dr. Schroeder a call, right?"

"I will," Maxie said. "See you, Mel. Good luck to you in the next six months."

"I'll need it," Melissa said as she left to pick her husband up from his fatherhood course.

Maxie felt a little more hopeful about herself. "_I only wonder what the psychiatrist will say..."_

* * *

><p>It's a cool mid-March afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Spring is approaching at a rapid rate and the Forest's inhabitants are eagerly awaiting the warm season's arrival, among them, Ralph and Melissa Raccoon...<p>

Ralph was sitting on the couch watching the evening news shortly after dinner, while Melissa was lying back with her feet resting in his lap, lost in thought. It was a rather comfortable position, she had to admit.

Melissa was, oddly enough, not thinking about her baby at the moment. She had her mind on other matters...Melissa remembered all the photography books she had published to date. She had published four so far and all of them had sold quite well. She had made a fair bit of money off of the books, most of which she had generously donated to charitable causes. She had loved putting those books together with Ralph. But the pattern had been for her to usually publish one every two years. She had originally planned to publish her fifth book last year, but her plans to have children had caused her to put that aside. She was, oddly enough, feeling a desire to publish her next book really soon. "_Perhaps I should discuss this with Ralph..._"

At that moment, Ralph commented on what was on the news. "The Phoenix Lights, huh?" he said, quite incredulous at what he was watching. "Heh. Look at that, honey. Seems some crazy people in Phoenix think they're seeing UFOs," he laughed.

"Some people are a bit lost in the head, huh?" Melissa remarked.

"I guess so," Ralph shrugged.

"Ralph, I've been meaning to ask you something, sweetie..." Melissa spoke up.

"What is it, Melissa?"

"Ralph, I've been thinking it's about time I publish another book..."

"Go on," Ralph nodded.

"I was thinking maybe I should do a photo scrapbook of the Forest's residents," Melissa continued. "You know, profiling the people of the Forest. Do you think it's a good idea, dear?"

"I like the idea," Ralph nodded. "You should definitely do that. As always, I'll be willing to help you."

"We should get to it pretty soon..."

At that moment Melissa was interrupted by a sound coming from upstairs. It sounded as if Bert was playing a rather sad song on his acoustic guitar.

"Bert's up there playing his guitar," Melissa commented. "It's been a long time since I've heard him play."

"Lisa really broke his heart, didn't she?" Ralph remarked.

"I should say so," Melissa remarked. "I think he's feeling a little better since then, but he's not as happy as he was before..."

"Poor guy," Ralph shook his head. "I feel pretty bad for him. You know, I always thought when I was younger, he'd be the first one between me, him, and Cedric to find a steady girlfriend...and he's the only one of us who isn't married. Sure hope things get better for him soon. Maybe a nice girl will take an interest in him soon; I _would_ like him out of the house some time, you know!"

"As a matter of fact, Ralph, you know some girl has. You know those letters Bert's gotten over the past year or so from his secret admirer? Maybe Bert will find out who she is soon enough," Melissa lightly smiled.

"I don't know if we should put too much stock into those letters, Melissa. I think those are probably somebody pranking him. Not very nice, but that's what I have a feeling is going on."

"It's not a prank, Ralph. In fact, I know who wrote them personally," Melissa replied.

Ralph looked interested. "You do, huh? Well, tell me. Who wrote them?"

"_Should I tell him about Maxie?_" Melissa thought to herself. She figured it couldn't hurt, even though Maxie had asked her not to tell anyone else. Ralph could keep a secret, she felt. "_If I can't trust my own husband, than who can I trust...?_" she thought. "Alright, Ralph, I'll tell you, but I have to whisper it."

"Okay, go ahead," Ralph replied.

"It's Maxie Ringtail. She's the one writing those letters to Bert," Melissa whispered in her husband's ear.

"Maxie Ringtail?" Ralph quietly replied. "Huh. I don't know her all that well. I know you do since you and her are good friends. I know she's pretty lonely from what I know. Doesn't surprise me all that much that she would have a bit of a crush on ol' Bert. They are good friends, after all."

"Yes, they are. You know, Maxie's currently going through therapy to treat her depression at Dr. Schroeder's," Melissa commented.

"Ah. Hope everything goes well for her then," Ralph stated. "Say, maybe she and Bert would make a good couple?"

"Maybe so, Ralph. I hope they do get together some time in the future. You have to promise not to tell Bert, though."

"Don't worry, I won't tell him," Ralph chuckled. "It's better for him to find out on his own. We'll just see what happens, I guess..."

Presently, Melissa picked a book up off the table and started thumbing through it. She continued to be lost in her thoughts, as now, she was thinking about her most recent visit to the hospital to check her baby...

"Say, Ralph. Don't you remember my last checkup? It was really something, wasn't it?" she smiled.

Ralph immediately smiled. "Oh, it was. It definitely was. I can still remember it very clearly..."

Ralph remembered the couple's most recent visit to Evergreen Hospital. It had been a bit of an exciting moment for them as Melissa was having an ultrasound performed on her. Ralph had been a little nervous and unsure about actually going into the ultrasound room with her, but Melissa convinced him to go in there. The wait had seemed rather lengthy and agonizing. But finally, they were in the ultrasound room.

Melissa was lying on the table in a hospital gown. She wasn't really fond of them at all, but she was required to wear one for the ultrasound. "Well, this is it, Ralph. In a few moments, we're going to see our baby for the first time."

"Yeah," Ralph said, sweating a bit.

"You're nervous, I can tell..." Melissa noticed.

"I kind of am..." Ralph embarrassingly admitted. "I wonder what the baby will look like..."

"Don't be afraid, Ralph. This is a really big moment for us..." Melissa smiled.

"Alright," Ralph said as he gripped his wife's paw. He saw the scanner that would perform the ultrasound on his wife. "That thing won't hurt the baby, will it...?" Ralph worriedly asked the nurse.

Nurse Peck had to laugh. "Haha, if it did hurt the baby, that'd be the first time I'd ever heard of something like that happening. Don't worry, Mr. Raccoon, it's completely safe. Your wife and your child will be just fine." With that, Nurse Peck pressed the scanner against Melissa's bare stomach. Melissa came close to jumping off the table from the cold feeling of the scanner touching her belly.

"Y-y-y-yikes!" Melissa shouted. "S-s-so cold..."

"It's alright, honey," Ralph said as he gripped his wife's paw a little tighter. "It'll be okay."

"We should see it any minute now..." Melissa said, glancing at the screen. The couple were intently focusing on the monitor, eagerly awaiting for their child to appear on the screen.

Then Melissa saw what she was looking for on the screen. "Look, look, Ralph! Do you see it? There it is! Our baby!"

Ralph gazed at the screen. Sure enough, they could see a tiny baby raccoon on the monitor. Ralph immediately smiled. It was almost...surreal actually getting to see their baby. "Wow. Tiny little fellow, isn't he?"

"It's got room to grow still, Ralph," Melissa smiled. "I can't believe it. That's our child!"

"Aww..." Ralph happily smiled. "He's precious, isn't he?"

"Well, you don't know if it's a he yet...but it sure is, sweetie." They couldn't tell from the images they were seeing. The baby hadn't developed quite enough yet for them to tell, although it was immediately recognizable as a baby raccoon.

Presently, the couple could hear the sound of the baby's tiny heart beating. "What in the world is that?" Ralph wondered.

"It's the baby's heartbeat," Nurse Peck informed him.

"Sounds like it's healthy..."

"Can you believe it, Ralph? That's our little miracle," she broadly beamed.

Ralph could feel a warm sensation flowing through him at that moment. He felt quite proud knowing he helped create the little wonder growing in his wife's womb that they were seeing on the screen together. That was _his _child. Ralph leaned down and gave his wife a big kiss. "Yeah, our little miracle."

Back in the present day, Ralph was still smiling thinking about that. "You know, honey, I can't believe that this time last year I was actually _afraid _to have children. That was worth seeing for sure..."

"Oh, I know, Ralph," Melissa beamed.

Ralph proceeded to do something very unexpected...he lifted up Melissa's sweater a bit and proceeded to kiss her slightly bulging tummy.

"Ralph...what are you doing..." Melissa said, bemused by how odd her husband was acting.

To her surprise, Ralph started talking to her belly. "Hi there, little guy. You can hear me, right? Do you know who I am? That's right, I'm your Daddy! I helped make you. I can't wait until you're here, little one," Ralph smiled as he looked up at his wife.

"Ralph, I'll say it again...what are you doing?" Melissa curiously asked.

"Sorry, Melissa...I can't help it. I love the little guy already," he smiled as he placed his paw on his wife's stomach, over where the baby was. "He's my child. I really can't wait until he's here so I can hold him."

"You don't know it's a he, Ralph. We probably won't find that out for a couple of months," Melissa rolled her eyes.

"I have a good feeling. I just have this feeling it's a little boy," Ralph smiled. "I hope it is."

"I hope so too, but I have a feeling it's a little girl," Melissa disagreed with her husband.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Ralph smiled. "You'll see. I think I'll be proven right."

"Ralph, the last time you said you would be proven right about something, you were _way_ wrong..." Melissa rolled her eyes again.

"We'll see, honey, we'll see..." Ralph smiled as he turned his gaze back to the TV.

Presently, however, Melissa spoke to him again. "Ralph, I have a question for you..."

"Go on, ask me, honey," Ralph said.

"Ralph...what do you think of...Kerry?" Melissa smiled.

Ralph was confused by his wife's question. "Kerry...?" Ralph then noticed the book his wife was reading. "Melissa, what the hell are you reading...?"

"It's a book of male and female baby names," Melissa smiled at her husband.

"Where did you get that...?"

"I bought it at the local bookstore," Melissa continued to smile. "Same place where Bert buys all those crazy adventure novels of his. I thought it might be a good idea for us to have a few names in mind ahead of time. That way, we won't have as difficult a time trying to name the baby when it's born. Now tell me, Ralph, what do you think of 'Kerry'?"

"Kerry Raccoon..." Ralph didn't particularly think that sounded like a good name. "Melissa, I don't think we need to be thinking of names right _now_. It's way too early. We still have six months before the baby's born. I'm sure we will have plenty of time to come up with a name before then. We don't need to worry about it just yet."

"But I think it's a good idea, honey. You never know..." Melissa glared at her husband. "Ralph, just tell me what you think of 'Kerry'. I think it's a nice name...it would work whether our child is a boy or a girl. Come to think of it, 'Terry' might work as well..."

Ralph rolled his eyes. "I guess it's an okay name. 'Kerry Raccoon' just doesn't sound quite right to me, though..."

"Hmm..." Melissa said as she thumbed through some pages, looking at some of the girls' names. "How about Samantha? I think that could work..."

"'Samantha Raccoon' doesn't sound quite right to me, either," Ralph shrugged.

"Deborah?" Melissa asked.

"Maybe, I don't know," Ralph shrugged again.

"How about Madaleine, Ralph? It's a pretty name if you ask me."

"Maybe that could work...we'll see, I guess..." Ralph shrugged yet again. Naming their child when they didn't even know what gender it was yet seemed rather pointless to him...

Melissa then looked through the male baby names. "What if our child's a boy...hmm...How about John?"

"John? That's the most common name there is," Ralph shook his head. "Too plain."

"You're right," Melissa said as she continued to randomly thumb through pages. "Mark?"

"'Mark Raccoon' doesn't sound that bad..." Ralph had to admit. "I'm still not sure..."

Melissa stopped on one page. "Ah-ha! I've got it, Ralph. If our baby is a boy, I think _this _is the perfect name for him."

"What is it?" Ralph wondered.

"Come look, sweetie," Melissa said as Ralph glanced over at the book.

The name he saw was _definitely _a surprise. "...Norville...?" Ralph squeaked.

"Yes, Norville," Melissa warmly smiled. "I think it's a very unique name. Everyone will know our child just by that name..."

"Melissa, you've _got _to be kidding me..." Ralph slapped himself in the face. "Norville? Really? You really think that is a good name?"

"As a matter of fact, Ralph, I do," Melissa said, starting to get ticked off. "Don't you have a cousin named Norville?"

"I do, he's about Lisa's age," Ralph nodded. "I still wonder what Uncle Geoffrey and Aunt Nadine were thinking when they named him. It's...it's a very _goofy_ name, Melissa. If we name our child that, he's sure to be picked on for the entirety of his school days. That's a very..._bizarre_ name."

"If we have a boy, he could always go by 'Norv' for short," Melissa replied.

"'Norv' sounds almost as bad," Ralph shook his head. "It's not a good name choice, honey. Sorry."

"_I _like it, Ralph..." Melissa frowned.

"_Oh dear..._" Ralph quickly thought. "_Try not to piss her off...try not to piss her off__..."_

At that moment, Melissa spoke to him again, a bit less pissed off. "Ralph, could you be a sweetheart and fetch me some peanut butter, please? I'm feeling hungry right now..."

"You just ate..." Ralph quickly shut his mouth and decided to do what Melissa asked of him, rather then risk getting hollered at. He got up and headed for the kitchen. "Sure thing, honey..."

"Thank you, Ralph," Melissa smiled as she put her book down.

Ralph sighed as he grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet. "I'm happy the baby's on the way," Ralph muttered to himself. "Doesn't mean there aren't trying times along the way too..."

Still, Ralph was looking forward to what was coming a little over six months from now...

**END CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So there's Chapter 11. Just four chapters left in this story! We're nearing the end, folks...it's a shame this story must come to an end. Very up-and-down chapter, Ralph and Melissa are (mostly) happy, but Bert and Maxie are quite unhappy...Few notes for this chapter.

I thought it would be funny for Melissa to develop an attraction to Bert's peanut butter during her pregnancy. Did you guess right? I thought it was a funny idea because it would definitely peeve Bert off for sure. Seeing how much he loves his peanut butter, he would definitely not be pleased seeing Melissa developing as much a taste for it as he has. It's safe to say he's going to be _really_ glad when Ralph and Melissa's baby arrives...

Yes, I finally got around to showing Cedric and Sophia's twins in this story. Very brief glimpse of them seeing as they are still babies, but still, you finally got to see Cecil and Sylvia. I can safely say in the next story I write you will see then when they are bigger...the way I'm envisioning that story potentially going, they will be old enough to talk and play in that story.

It figures someone like Maxie would ultimately end up seeking professional help to cure her depression. Nothing Melissa has tried to do for her has really helped, so it really is a job best left to the professionals. I thought it would be an interesting idea for Bert to have a cousin who's a psychiatrist, so you'll probably see Dr. Schroeder somewhere in this story. (Next story for sure.) I think next chapter, Maxie will be taking anti-depressants to help her out...

As for Melissa thinking "Norville" is a good baby name...I just thought that would be funny. Norville, without a doubt, has to be one of the _worst_ possible names a boy could actually be named. I don't actually know anyone physically named Norville, but I have heard of people named this. I don't doubt someone having an..."interesting" name like that would be picked on by their classmates. It's well known that anyone who has even a _slightly_ off-sounding name is destined to be picked on for it in school, be it a weird first name or a bizarre last name. In case you are wondering, no, Ralph and Melissa's child will not be Norville. I'm actually thinking of asking you, the reader, to come up with names. I have a name in mind, but I would like to see if anyone could come up with a name I actually like...

Next chapter, Ralph and Melissa buy a baby crib and realize there's no room in the house for the baby, Maxie has a talk with Lisa, a true family crisis strikes Melissa, and Bert receives a letter from his secret admirer asking him to meet her...uh oh. What will happen? You'll find out next time...


	12. Chapter 12: I'll Always Remember You

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: We're getting closer to the finish line in this story. Melissa's desire to have children looked like it would be unfulfilled as Ralph was unsure on whether or not they should have children. Luckily for her, with his mother's help, Ralph was able to see the positives in becoming a parent, and he and Melissa mutually agreed to try to have children. It took quite a while, and Melissa nearly gave up hope of ever being a mother, but at last, they were successful as Melissa finally got pregnant, much to her delight. However, pregnancy is not an easy road for any woman, and Melissa knew she was in for the full experience. Last chapter, she began experiencing food cravings, especially for poor ol' Bert's peanut butter. She also started experiencing mood swings and just barely avoided yelling at Ralph last chapter. However, there were positives too, as Ralph volunteered to buy Melissa peanut butter whenever she wants it. And the couple also experienced joy as they got to see their baby for the very first time as Melissa had an ultrasound performed on her. With Ralph's help, they should be able to get through the remaining six months of pregnancy...but we'll see what they're in store for in this chapter. Meanwhile, Bert feels lonely and is constantly wishing he could find love and have kids of his own, too, but alas, he hasn't been able to find a woman who wants him yet. And Maxie Ringtail is feeling her most depressed, to the point where Melissa recommended she should visit a psychiatrist as he may be able to help her. What's in store for this chapter? You'll seee...

Now, let's begin...

**CHAPTER TWELVE: I'll Always Remember You  
><strong>

It's a Sunday afternoon in the Evergreen Forest, near the end of March. Spring has now officially arrived, but the Forest has yet to fully warm up. Still, many of the Forest's residents are anticipating the arrival of the warm season...

Ralph Raccoon was sitting on his couch in the Raccoondominium, reading the latest issue of the _Evergreen Standard_. Today was an off day for the _Standard_, as Sundays always had been. "This is a fine issue," Ralph smiled fondly as he read through the articles. "I always try to do my best at putting this baby together." Ralph wondered if he would win the Small Town Editor of the Year Award this year. "_Well...I've already won it four_ _times,_" Ralph smiled as he thought to himself. "_Could I win it again this year?_" It certainly was a possibility. "I certainly would like to _hope _I win..." Those awards had made Ralph feel quite proud of himself; he was pretty confident he was a phenomenal newspaper editor. He especially hoped he won this year as he had a speech in mind prepared: he wanted to give credit to his beloved wife Melissa for all of his successes. "I just wish it was earlier than July..."

Speaking of Melissa, she was upstairs at the moment. "_I wonder what she's up to...?_" Ralph idly thought to himself. Ralph was still excited knowing that his wife was pregnant; about four months pregnant, in fact. He had once feared having children, but his mother had been able to help him see the positives in the situation. So he and Melissa had decided to give it a try, and now Melissa was already almost halfway through her pregnancy. Ralph could hardly believe he had been afraid of having children at one time. "Seeing my child for the first time was one of the proudest moments of my whole life," Ralph fondly smiled as he remembered when Melissa had her first ultrasound. Ralph remembered when thoughts like that had first crossed his mind; that had motivated him to give having kids a chance in the first place. It was hard to believe those idle thoughts were becoming real. "_It's amazing to think Melissa and I could create something so wonderful together._"

That was not to say these past few months had been easy on him, however. Melissa had been having food cravings constantly, especially for peanut butter. "_Should have figured she would go crazy for peanut butter, right?_" Ralph thought as he chuckled a bit. His old friend and housemate Bert had always craved peanut butter while he himself had not shared that enthusiasm. It seemed to be ironic his own wife would develop food cravings for peanut butter as well. "She's been getting me up early in the morning constantly because she's hungry..." Ralph felt tired more often than not as he was constantly being sleep deprived. To be fair, though, Melissa wasn't getting as much sleep as she would have liked to, either. Not to mention, Melissa had been moody sometimes..."It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Ralph said aloud as he put down his newspaper, "but she's yelled at me a few times more than I would like. I **_hate_ **being yelled at..." Still, he knew he had promised to help her through this difficult new experience. "At least we're in this together..."

At that moment, Melissa came down the stairs and stood before her husband. "Ralph, are you ready?"

Ralph was confused. "Err...ready for what, honey? Were we going somewhere today?"

Melissa frowned. "Don't tell me you don't remember, Ralph..." she shook her head.

Ralph immediately became afraid he was going to get yelled at by her. "Sorry, Melissa. I forgot...please don't yell at me."

Melissa managed to calm herself down. "I won't, Ralph...I promise. But you really don't remember? We were going to meet your brother and Nicole today."

That managed to jog Ralph's memory. "You're right, honey, we were supposed to meet them. What were we supposed to do, though?"

"Well, Ralph, Nicole wanted to go shopping for baby supplies, and she thought it would be a nice way for us to spend the afternoon together," Melissa smiled. "Today, we might get to buy a crib for the baby!"

"A crib? Sounds alright, but where are we going to go for that?" Ralph wondered.

"Remember, Ralph, there's a new baby supply store that opened up a few months ago: Babies 'R' Us. Remember?" Melissa was curious as to why her husband seemed so forgetful today.

"Erm...oh, I remember now! I think we wrote an article about that...Isn't the owner an old college friend of yours?" Ralph asked his wife.

"Yes, she was! Patty Linville," Melissa smiled. "She was a good friend of mine when I was in college. I haven't seen her in years, though."

"I remember her from back when we were dating," Ralph replied. "She was the one who was always asking me if we were going to get married..."

"Haha, I remember that," Melissa reminisced. "Let's go, Ralph. George and Nicole said they'd meet us there."

"Alrighty then," Ralph said as he grabbed his coat, since it was still quite cold, even though spring had arrived. "Let's go buy some stuff for the baby..."

The couple soon arrived at the new Babies 'R' Us store, where they saw George and Nicole waiting for them outside. They currently seemed to be arguing about something trivial...

"Aw, c'mon, honey, do I _have _to be here?" George griped.

Nicole scowled. "I think thez iz a good way to zpend zome time with Ralph. After all, he iz expecting to become a father. Do you not want to be there for your little brother?"

"Yes, but, c'mon now...you know I _hate _shopping..." George continued to complain.

"We will not be that long, George," Nicole informed him.

"Well...alright..."

"Hi there, Sis," Melissa greeted her sister-in-law. "I see you managed to get George to come with you."

"It wazn't eazy..." Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Great to see you, little brother," George said, a bit of false enthusiasm to his voice. "I guess today we'll be looking for things to buy for the kid?"

"Looks that way," Ralph smiled.

"Alright, now that we are all here," Nicole replied. "George, you and Ralph go look at the toyz. Melizza and I will be looking around."

"Alright..." George said as they split up. Soon, George and Ralph were standing in the store's toy section.

"So, Melissa dragged you here too, huh?" George asked his sibling.

"Nah..." Ralph said. "I'm not fond of shopping myself, but it's for my child. I want him to have everything he needs when he's born. Quite frankly, I can't wait until he's here."

"Him, huh?" George noted. "So, you already know you're going to have a son?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Ralph admitted. "Melissa already had an ultrasound performed on her, but we couldn't really tell what it was just yet. We'll find out soon enough, I think. I just have this gut feeling that we'll be having a boy. I really hope it is a boy," Ralph smiled.

"Must have really been something when you actually got to see your child, am I right?" George asked.

Ralph smiled fondly. "Yeah...Yeah, it definitely was. That was one of the best moments of my life."

"It's funny, Ralph," George remarked, "you're just about to have your first kid, and mine are already leaving the house. Lisa left a few years ago, and Bentley's leaving once he graduates from high school. Which will be quite soon..."

"It must be pretty hard to see your children leaving you," Ralph replied.

"It's kind of hard to believe they're all grown up...but between you and me, little brother," he smirked, "there's definitely an advantage to having no kids in the house..."

"Don't tell me..." Ralph groaned as he shook his head. He _knew_ where George was going with this.

"That's right," George mischievously chuckled. "No kids in the house means Nicole and I will have more chances for some...quality time together, if you know what I'm saying..."

"I know _exactly _what you're saying..." Ralph cringed. "Thanks, George. I _really_ needed the image of you and her in bed together running through my head..."

"Sorry, Ralph," George apologized. "But it's hard to deny that's an advantage. That said...I still am gonna miss the kids...You know, there's a part of me that kind of wishes I had another kid. But Nicole and I decided not to have anymore after Bentley, so, well, she agreed to have her tubes tied. I really miss those times I had with Lisa and Bentley when they were little..." George sighed. "You'd best cherish those times while you've still got them, little brother. They won't last forever..."

"I know that," Ralph nodded. "That's not something I really want to think too much about at this point. Right now, I'm just anxious for the little guy to be here..."

"You already told me. Speaking of which, how's it been these past few months dealing with a pregnant wife? It's been hell, hasn't it?" George laughed.

"It's not as bad as you made it out to be at all," Ralph shrugged. "That said, there's been some trying times along the way...she's been getting me up in the middle of the night quite often so I can get her some peanut butter."

"Hah, peanut butter. When Nicole was pregnant with Bentley, all she wanted to eat was chocolate," George said as he remembered when his own wife was pregnant. "I can see it's been a bit tiresome, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Ralph replied. "I think you can tell by the bags under my eyes...But, I promised her I would help her every step of the way through this. I won't allow myself to go back on that promise...at this time, she needs me more than ever."

"True, sometimes we do need to make sacrifices for those we love," George nodded. "Anyways, I got something to tell you...Nicole didn't want me to tell anyone, but she's thinking about holding a baby shower for you two."

"Really now?"

"Yes," George nodded. "She's been saying she was going to hold one for Melissa whenever she did get pregnant and she's been constantly pestering me about it. She keeps telling me that it's something we should do for you two." George quickly covered his mouth. "Pretend you didn't hear that, Ralph. I wasn't supposed to tell you that..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Ralph said as they looked at the toys in front of them. "Hmm...what should we buy..."

"Hey, look here," George said as he picked up a toy off the shelve. "It's Mr. Tomato Head. Remember him?"

"Why would I remember Mr. Tomato Head?" Ralph wondered.

"You used to have one of these when you were a baby, Ralph," George replied. "I remember that was your favorite toy."

"Hmm..." Ralph said. "I think I _do_ remember playing with a Mr. Tomato Head when I was very, very little...I guess we'll get that..."

Meanwhile, Melissa and Nicole were wandering throughout the store together.

"Huh, George and Ralph are taking an awfully long time looking at the toys..." Melissa noted, seeing their husbands on the other end of the store.

"They are probably catching up on thingz..." Nicole mused. "It muzt be a thing between brotherz..."

"Maybe," Melissa shrugged. "Did I tell you I had my first ultrasound earlier this month?"

"You did?" Nicole asked. "How did that go?"

"Well, I didn't like how the scanner felt...it was very cold..." Melissa said, just shivering remember how cold it had felt against her skin. "But it was really wonderful getting to see the little one. Ralph's reaction was adorable," she cheerfully smiled.

"Oh, I bet," Nicole nodded. "I know you have told me Ralph iz very excited about having a child. I can only imagine what he waz thinking when he zaw that."

"He was very happy, to say the least," Melissa smiled. "I think it's wonderful the two of us were able to create something so beautiful together. It's pretty miraculous how children are created, don't you think?"

"It zure iz, Melizza," Nicole smiled. "That zaid, being pregnant zure izn't all that fun..."

"Oh, it's not been that bad so far, Nicole," Melissa replied. "I've been having cravings for peanut butter, as you know. Plus I've been yelling at Ralph lately...not too often, but more often than I like. I really don't like yelling at him...I really hate seeing how upset he looks when I do..."

"Well, at leazt he knowz you cannot really help that. It comez with being pregnant. After thez iz all over you will hopefully be back to your old zelf again," Nicole replied. "I juzt wonder how you are dealing with the extra weight...I can zee you are definitely zhowing."

Melissa looked down at her growing belly, which by now had protruded enough to be clearly noticeable; her pregnancy was now quite obvious. "...I'll admit this is one thing I'm not too fond about at all," Melissa admitted. "I've already gained eight pounds, and the doctor said I needed to gain at least thirty-five pounds; maybe even forty." Melissa sighed as she placed her paws on her belly. "Hopefully I can drop this weight quickly after giving birth...I don't really enjoy having a 'baby bump'..."

"Maybe you will be lucky," Nicole encouragingly replied.

"Who knows...when does the baby start kicking, anyways?" Melissa asked.

"You are four monthz pregnant, yes?"

"A little bit over that," Melissa replied.

"It will be very soon, Melizza. Probably another month or zho...Pregnancy zhure izn't fun, iz it?"

"I know; I'm starting to feel a bit more helpless. I'm having to depend on Ralph more and more lately."

"Not to mention, Maxie waz right when she zaid your body won't be quite the zame...You are probably going to have stretch markz when thez iz all zaid and done."

"I hope that won't be a turn-off for Ralph in the long run..." Melissa worried.

"Don't worry about that. I know Ralph lovez you very much; I am zure he will still love you juzt az much after thez iz all over," Nicole warmly replied.

"You're right," Melissa smiled. "Still, I just don't like feeling like a burden to Ralph..."

"At leazt he iz there for you," Nicole smiled.

"I'm very glad he is. I wouldn't want to be in the situation poor Maxie was in..." Melissa noticed what they were standing in front of: maternity clothing. "I'm going to need to buy these, aren't I..."

Nicole nodded. "You are definitely not going to be able to wear your regular clothez the bigger you get...you will definitely need zome new clothez."

"I have been noticing my sweater is starting to feel a bit tighter than normal," Melissa remarked. "I imagine when it gets a bit warmer I'm going to discover that my favorite tank top won't fit me anymore."

"Mozt likely..." Nicole knowingly nodded.

"Well, if I must...Alright, Nicole. Let's see what they have. I'll need something new to wear." Melissa had never been terribly fond of clothes shopping as she liked the few clothes she actually had, but she figured if she was going to be getting that big she would need new clothes that would properly fit her changing body.

Nicole picked a few shirts off the clothes rack. "Tell me, Melizza. Which one of theze do you like?"

Melissa took a look at the shirts her close friend was holding up. She spotted one that caught her eye. "That pink one with the little blue flowers on it looks cute...I think I like that one."

"I zuppoze we can get that one, if you like. Here you are," Nicole said as she handed Melissa the shirt.

Melissa took a look at the tag on the new shirt and her jaw dropped instantly as she noted what size it was. "Large?" Melissa gasped.

"You wanted it..." Nicole chuckled.

"Well, if it'll fit me..."

Soon, Ralph and Melissa had gathered the supplies they had come here to get. They left the store after Melissa had said hello to her old friend from college who ran the store. George and Nicole headed home while Ralph and Melissa also headed back home, to the Raccoondominium. Ralph was carrying the box that contained the crib they had managed to find (as Melissa was not supposed to carry anything heavy) while Melissa was carrying the rest of their supplies in a bag.

"Will this be all we need?" Ralph asked.

"We'll probably need more..." Melissa said. "I wonder if one of our friends will be throwing a baby shower for us?"

"Maybe," Ralph said, remembering that George had told him Nicole wanted to throw one for them. "That would be awfully nice, wouldn't it?"

"It sure would," Melissa smiled.

Presently, they reached their house. Ralph knocked on the door. After a minute, Bert got up from the couch where he had been reclining and opened the door for them.

"I see you two bought some baby stuff," Bert smiled. He hadn't gone with them as he had spent the afternoon with Bentley and Annie. Seeing as they both were getting ready to graduate high school and enter college, he wouldn't have too many more days he could do that...

"We sure did!" Melissa smiled. "George and Nicole helped us out here. I got some new clothes and Ralph bought some toys and storybooks for our baby."

"We also bought a crib...as you can see," Ralph added in.

"Ah," Bert nodded. "You'll definitely need that...There's just one little thing though. We don't have any room for the little guy. Where are you gonna put that?"

Melissa gasped. "Oh...oh no!" She hadn't even thought about that. They didn't have a spare room they could easily turn into the baby's room...where _would_ the crib go? "I didn't even think about that...what are we going to do, Ralph?"

"I don't know," Ralph admitted. He was hurriedly trying to think of a solution to this new dilemma. "Perhaps we could put the crib in the attic?"

"We can't do that, Ralph!" Melissa suddenly snapped at him. "Our baby is _not _going to live in the attic!"

Ralph realized he had ticked his wife off. "Sorry, honey...I thought we could maybe move some stuff around and there might be room up there..."

"Ralph, the attic is too crowded and dusty. It won't make a good room for our child," she shook her head. "Perhaps we could put the crib in our room?"

"Melissa...I don't think the baby should be in the same room as us..." Ralph groaned.

"You're right," Melissa realized. "What are we going to do?"

Bert quickly chimed in with a solution. "The baby can have my room, you guys."

"Huh?" Ralph was confused. "You mean you're willing to share your room with a baby? Are you sure you want to put yourself through that...?"

"I guess it'll be difficult having to deal with the little one constantly screaming and crying..." Bert replied. "But I wouldn't mind sharing my room with it. You can put the crib up in my room."

Ralph was surprised at Bert's gesture. That was awfully kind of him to actually let the baby stay in his room. Still, it didn't seem quite right..."Melissa, what do you think?"

"I think it's a very nice idea," she smiled. "You can have a little friend, Bert."

"Like I've said, I'll be the best friend the little guy'll ever have!" Bert chuckled.

"I'm sure you two will be good friends," Ralph smiled.

Still, he and Melissa both hoped Bert and their baby would only have to share a room for a little while...

* * *

><p>Spring is in full bloom in the Evergreen Forest. It is now early May, and the weather has warmed up considerably over the past month. Flowers are blooming and the Forest seems filled with life. Most of the Forest's residents are happy that the warm weather is now upon them...and that certainly included Lisa Raccoon.<p>

It had gotten warm enough for Lisa to play basketball outside; her long-time favorite hobby. "What a nice day outside today," Lisa smiled as she dribbled the ball. "It's the perfect way for me to spend an afternoon. I need to unwind from coaching!" Lisa knew that it was getting closer to the end of her second full year of teaching at Evergreen Elementary. She felt pretty sure she was doing a great job coaching the youngsters of the Evergreen Forest. "They won't have to worry about being unhealthy at such a young age, that's for sure!" she laughed to herself. Even so, she was looking forward to time away from her job...

Lisa's thoughts quickly turned, however, to her friend Bert. "I still remember when he told me that he still loved me after those years..." Lisa said aloud. "I knew I had to tell him I didn't feel the same way...I just didn't know he would take it that hard." She had seen Bert several times since then, but he didn't visit her as often as he used to. "I really broke his heart, didn't I?" Lisa felt pretty bad for hurting her friend's feelings like that. "Still, it's better in the long run...it was better I let him know rather than keep him hoping." Still, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for upsetting him like that..."He could really use something to bring him out of his funk...That's why I've been trying to see if I could find a girlfriend for him." It was true; Lisa had asked a few single women she knew if they'd go out with Bert. Unsurprisingly, however, all of them had declined. "There's got to be _someone_ for him...I know having a girlfriend would make him happy for sure...but _who_?"

At that moment, Lisa saw a familiar face walking by. "Maxie Ringtail? What are you doing out here? It isn't all that often that I actually see you around. It's funny since we're neighbors, isn't it?"

"Oh, hello there, Lisa," Maxie waved. "Nice seeing you too, I guess. I was just out and about, I suppose."

"Where have you been, anyways?" Lisa asked Maxie as she tossed the basketball aside. She was feeling pretty bored playing basketball all by herself, so she thought it would be a nice idea to talk to her neighbor.

"Err...um..." Maxie decided to come clean. "Well, I was just at Dr. Schroeder's office. You might not know this, but your aunt saw how depressed I was, and she recommended I should see the psychiatrist."

"I think Aunt Melissa told me about that the last time I saw her," Lisa replied. "You and her are pretty good friends, aren't you?"

"We are," Maxie nodded. "I'm glad I have a friend like her. I'm glad for the few friends I have," she smiled.

"You sound a bit happier than normal," Lisa noticed.

"Oh, I do feel a little better than I normally have," Maxie smiled. "Dr. Schroeder is very nice. He gave me a prescription for some anti-depressant medication to help treat my depression. Thanks to him, I'm now taking Prozac."

"I see it's helping you out a bit," Lisa responded. "Most of the time when I'm talking to you, you seem to be lamenting how crummy your life is."

"I guess my life's not as bad as I thought I was," Maxie continued to smile. "I definitely feel a little more up-beat! I think it's going to work out for me. Maybe I won't be such a major downer anymore...To think, I was embarrassed of the thought of seeking help!"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Lisa replied. "If you don't think you can help yourself, a little outside help isn't so bad."

"You know, Dr. Schroeder is Bert's cousin, right?" Maxie asked.

"Huh...I didn't know that. So what's the doctor like? Anything like Bert?"

"No, not really. He's nice, but if anything, he reminds me more of your Uncle Ralph. Very focused on his job," Maxie replied.

"I see..."

"Speaking of your uncle, Lisa, what do you think about having a new little cousin on the way?"

"Oh, I'm quite happy for Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa," Lisa smiled. "I had wondered for a long time why they didn't have any children; I thought perhaps they didn't want to have any. I'm glad to see they're finally going to have a baby. They're going to be great parents for sure. I always wanted a little cousin..."

"I'm glad for them too. Nice to see Mel actually beat her biological clock...I could tell she was pretty worried that she wasn't," Maxie said. "What do you think they'll have? I've got a feeling they're going to have a boy."

"Me? Well, I'm hoping they have a girl," Lisa replied. "I always did want a little sister...Not that I hate Bentley, but I can still remember when Bentley was born; I was disappointed to find out I had a little brother. Maybe I can finally have something like a little sister. I'd love it if they had a daughter that looked up to me...I'd be pretty honored to coach their child."

"Well, they're halfway there. We'll find out soon enough, I guess..."

"I suppose we will," Lisa agreed with her neighbor.

"Lisa...I have something I think I should admit to you..." Maxie changed the subject.

"Oh, and what's that?" Lisa curiously asked.

"Lisa...I'll come clean and say...for a long time, I felt jealous of you," Maxie admitted.

"You were jealous of me? I never knew that. Why would you be jealous of me?"

"Because...Bert was always interested in you," Maxie responded.

"And why you would be jealous at me because of tha..." Lisa realized what Maxie was saying pretty quickly. "Oh! I see why. You _like _Bert, don't you...?"

"I do like Bert," Maxie admitted. "Well, it's a bit more than _like_...I...Well, I love him," Maxie blushed. "I have for quite a long while."

"I had a feeling you did," Lisa smiled.

"Really? Damn...did I really make it that obvious? I didn't realize it was so blatant..."

"I just had a feeling you did...I mean, you and him seemed to be such good friends," Lisa answered Maxie. "You always seemed to have something nice to say about him...not to mention, Bert showed me those letters he got. I thought they sounded like you might have written them."

"I admit I did..." Maxie blushed again. "It was Mel's idea. She thought maybe it would get Bert's attention. But, it hasn't done that..."

"Maybe things are going to change for you. You were really jealous of me, Maxie?"

"I was...I was because Bert was attracted to you and didn't seem to notice me. I could see why he was attracted to you. I mean...look at you. I don't swing that way, but...you pretty much have the looks of a model, Lisa. It's not just Bert who was attracted to you; it's pretty much every single guy in the Forest. Compared to you, I felt...I felt...well, ugly," Maxie admitted.

"Ugh! Tell me about it," Lisa groaned. "I've been hit on _so_ many times it isn't funny. I couldn't stoop to being a model; I wouldn't want to be ogled _nationwide_." Lisa's tone changed to more of a warm one. "But I don't know why you'd feel ugly, Maxie...for someone who had a child so young, you don't look all that bad. Model, no, but you're not ugly."

"I've just felt I'm very flawed...I mean, I still have stretch marks from having Annie all those years ago. I've heard those can be quite a turn-off..."

"Well, if someone really loves you, they wouldn't care about something like that," Lisa replied.

"Yeah, but...I can't help it, I've thought for a long time that I'm hardly anything to look at. I mean, I've always thought my nose was too big..." Maxie said.

"Well...I think little imperfections like that make us who we are. You are who you are, Maxie. If you cleaned yourself up just a little bit, I think you might be able to _really_ turn Bert's head!"

"Hah, I wish..." Maxie sighed. "Tell me, Lisa, why'd you turn Bert down? He really had his heart set on you...it really crushed him when you told him you didn't love him..."

"I know...but, I had to be honest. I would rather be truthful to Bert than lie to him and get his hopes up. That would be practically torturing him, I think..." Lisa sighed. "It's better in the long run. That said, you're right, he has been taking it pretty hard..." Suddenly, Lisa realized something. "You know what Maxie? It's a good thing I found out you're in love with Bert."

"It is?" Maxie was confused.

"Yes. You see, I felt a little guilty seeing Bert so upset, so I thought I would try to do something nice for Bert and try to find him a girlfriend," Lisa said. "I haven't had much luck, though...Bert doesn't seem to be well-liked by most women around here. Still, I haven't given up looking for a girl for Bert...and, I found her!"

"But would Bert really be interested in me? I mean, seeing as he was in love with you, I don't quite think I'm Bert's type..." Maxie admitted, her tone taking a bit more of a worried one rather than a sad one. "I think he wants someone younger than him rather than someone who's about the same age..."

"Bert's lonely; I'm sure he'd be happy to have a girlfriend, no matter how old she is. As a matter of fact...I think you two would make a really cute couple," Lisa encouragingly said. It wasn't _quite _enough to convince Maxie, however.

"Maybe we would, but I don't know about that...what should I do?" Maxie sighed, throwing her paws up in the air in a bit of frustration.

"Did you talk to Dr. Schroeder about that?" Lisa asked. "What did he have to say about that?"

"I did talk to him a little bit about that, and he told me it was probably best that I not worry about that at the moment and focus more on improving myself..." Maxie replied, "...but I can't help it. I'm a woman in love and I have no clue what to do..."

"Do you know what I think you should do, Maxie?"

"What is that?" Maxie asked Lisa.

"I think you should tell Bert how you feel about him. It will take a load off your chest, I think. It's better to let him know than to keep bottling it up inside of yourself where it hurts," Lisa replied.

"That's pretty...wise, Lisa, but I can't just do that!" Maxie replied, alarmed. "I'm afraid I might scare by him by doing that! What if Bert feels uncomfortable knowing I like him that way? What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore...?"

"Maxie, Maxie, don't worry about that," Lisa calmed her down a bit. "Just tell him how you feel. Bert is a nice guy, I don't think he would just abandon you as a friend like that. Matter of fact, I think Bert would be nice enough to go out on a date with you. Maybe you two will find you have a real spark with each other, and, who knows where that could lead to?"

"Lisa, I just don't know...I'm shy. I don't think I can just come out to him and tell him I'm in love with him. I think it might be too much for me...I had a hard enough time just writing letters to him, and I didn't even sign my name..."

"Hmm..." Lisa thought. Suddenly, an idea came to her. "I've got an idea, Maxie. I think this should be able to work."

"Really? Tell me."

"I'll whisper it to you..." Lisa whispered her idea in Maxie's ear.

"It sounds like a nice idea, but do you really think it will work...?" Maxie worriedly asked.

"I think it will definitely get Bert's attention," Lisa smiled. "It'll leave him curious, for sure!"

"Curious enough for it to actually work?"

"I think there's a good chance. You won't know unless you give it a try..."

"Well..." Maxie sighed. "Alright, Lisa. I think I can give it a try. I guess we'll see what happens..."

"That's the spirit, Maxie! I think your life is going to be getting a _lot _more interesting..." Lisa grinned.

"We'll see..." Maxie said as she headed back home. "Thanks for the help, Lisa."

"No problem," Lisa waved goodbye. She felt pretty confident Bert was finally going to be happy again _very _shortly...

* * *

><p>It's an early May afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. The children have gotten out of school for the day and many of the younger ones are busy spending their afternoon playing...indoors, that is, as it is a rainy afternoon. For the adults, however, many of them are still at work, getting ready for the end of the day. This includes Ralph and Melissa Raccoon...<p>

It was a slow day at the _Evergreen Standard_. Ralph was sitting at his computer looking over an article he had recently typed up. Melissa was sitting at the side of his desk, looking at a letter for her _Ask Melissa _column. She glanced over the letter quickly. "_Dear Melissa: My husband has changed a lot since we got married. He went from being sweet to being highly selfish and thinking only of himself. I don't think I love him anymore and, personally, I want a divorce. However, I'm not entirely sure that he'll be able to move on with his life without me in it. I'm also afraid for our two children, as I'm not sure how they'd deal with us potentially separating. What do you think I should do? Sally._" Melissa sighed as she placed the letter down. "_I've gotten so many letters like this lately..._" Melissa _did _like her advice column, but she liked being out in the field taking pictures even more. As her pregnancy was progressing, however, she had found herself spending more and more time here in the _Standard's _office and less time out in the field. "_I guess I won't __be publishing my next book of photography this year..._" Melissa let out a pretty loud yawn.

"Feeling tired there, honey?" Ralph asked her sweetly.

"Yeah, a little..." Melissa said.

"Don't worry, Melissa. As soon as Bert gets back from interviewing Lady Baden-Baden, we'll go home and you can take a nap. Is that alright with you?" Ralph asked.

"Sounds fine with me," Melissa said as she placed the letter back on the desk, quickly writing her reply to it.

Melissa thought about her advancing pregnancy. She was now a little over five months pregnant...a little more than halfway there. "_I've gained almost twelve pounds,_" she thought as she placed her paw on her tummy. She was definitely getting a lot bigger...she was now even bigger than her own husband. "_Nicole was right when she said I would need new clothes..._" Melissa thought. When the weather became warmer, Melissa had gotten quite a surprise when she tried to put on her usual tank top...it didn't fit her very well at all. She was no longer able to wear it. So currently, she was wearing her new shirt she had bought when she had went shopping: a pink T-shirt with a blue floral pattern on it. It was cute, she admitted, and at least it actually fit her, but she didn't enjoy being so big at all. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. "_Plus, I've still been having cravings like crazy...__I swear I'm going to drive us bankrupt with all this peanut butter I've been eating..._"

Still, Melissa tried to think of all the positives. She _had_ wanted a child and she had gotten her wish, so at the very least, she still felt happy knowing she was going to be a mother in just a few more months. Plus, she was scheduled to have another ultrasound performed very shortly. "_I'm sure our baby has developed enough to the point that we'll be able to finally find out what gender it is,_" Melissa lightly smiled. She could hardly wait to find out...even though she was certain she was going to have a little girl, she was truthfully hoping for a boy, just like her husband was. Not to mention, Melissa couldn't wait until the baby was born so she could show her child to her father. Mike Mulligan would no doubt be delighted to see his grandchild, the future of the Mulligan family bloodline. It might be the last thing he ever got to see, but she had convinced herself he would live long enough to see his grandchild. "_I can't wait to see the look on his face..._"

At that moment, Melissa suddenly felt an odd sensation...it felt like butterflies were fluttering around inside her stomach. "Ooh!" Melissa gasped, surprised at the sudden sensation.

Ralph glanced away from his computer for a moment. "What's the matter, honey?"

"I don't know, Ralph..." She felt the strange sensation again. She had felt it a few times before in the past month, but she thought it was just her stomach telling her she was hungry...but it felt stronger this time. Melissa was confused by the odd feeling...until she began to realize what it might be.

Quickly, Melissa lifted her shirt up as she placed her paw on her swelling belly. Much to her great surprise, she could actually feel movement beneath her paw.

Ralph looked at her, confused. "Is something wrong, Melissa...?"

Melissa quickly became excited. "Ralph, Ralph! Guess what, dear? I think...I think the baby's kicking! I can feel it moving, Ralph!" Melissa knew it wouldn't be fun having her baby constantly kick her for the next few months, but she couldn't help but feel excited actually feeling it kick for the first time.

Ralph grew excited too. "Really, Melissa? You can feel it moving?"

"Yes, I can! Ralph...would you like to feel it?" Melissa asked her husband.

"Would I?" Ralph excitedly asked. "Of course I would, honey," he warmly smiled.

"Here," Melissa said as she grabbed her husband's paw and placed it on her tummy. "Can you feel anything, sweetie?"

Ralph held his paw there for a few moments. Much to his surprise, he too felt a little movement in his wife's belly. "Hey, you're right, Melissa!" Ralph beamed. "I can feel it too! I felt the baby kick!" Ralph couldn't help but feel himself practically melting inside, knowing he had just felt his child move for the first time. It was a very proud moment for him, knowing their child was alive and healthy.

"Isn't it something, Ralph?" Melissa smiled back. "Our little miracle," she grinned as she pointed to her belly.

"Our little miracle, indeed," Ralph nodded as he and Melissa happily kissed each other. Ralph stooped down a bit as he began talking to her belly, much to Melissa's amusement. "Hi, little guy. Having fun in there? You'll have even more fun once you're here. I want you to know your Daddy loves you very much."

"This is adorable, Ralph," Melissa smiled.

"Sure is," Ralph said as he placed his paw on Melissa's pregnant stomach again, hoping to feel the baby move once more.

At that moment, Bert came in, soaking wet from the rain outside...and he was more than a little confused at what he saw. "What the hell are you two doing?" he asked.

"Bert, guess what?" Ralph excitedly said to his old friend. "You won't guess what happened!"

"What happened?" Bert was completely lost.

"Bert...I felt the baby kick," Melissa smiled.

"I got to feel it," Ralph proudly said. "I can't believe it...I got to feel my child move!"

"Wow. Must have really been something, eh?" Bert said.

"You have no idea, Bert," Ralph said. "That was really...something!"

"It's going to get worse the further along I get..." Melissa sighed. "Still, you're right, Ralph. That was something!"

"I bet," Bert shrugged. "You don't suppose I could feel the little guy, could I? I've never felt a baby kick before..."

"Sorry, Bert," Melissa replied. "I think the baby stopped kicking. For now, at least. I'm sure it'll start again sometime soon."

"Aww...I wanted to feel..." Bert sighed. "Gee, Ralphie boy, I've never seen you so excited about anything like this before!"

"Well, this might be the only chance I ever get to be a father," Ralph replied. "I want to treasure these little memories while I can."

"Can't say I blame ya..." Bert sighed. He wished he could know what it was like to be an expectant father. Ralph seemed to be pretty happy and excited, even if he did seem more tired than usual most of the time...

At that moment, the phone rang. Ralph picked it up.

"Hello, _Evergreen Standard_, Ralph speaking," Ralph answered the phone. "Yes? Uh-huh...Alright...Oh my, that's not good! I'll...I'll give it to her right this moment." Ralph handed the phone to his wife. "Melissa, it's for you. It's Annie Ringtail...and needless to say, the news is _not _good."

"Not good...?" Melissa realized Annie was supposed to be looking after her ill father this afternoon. Annie had volunteered to help look after him since Melissa couldn't constantly take time out of work to look after him herself. She knew Mike had gotten to the point where he needed an oxygen tank to help him breathe...she quickly became alarmed. "Hello, this is Melissa Raccoon..." she worriedly answered the phone.

"Melissa...it's me, Annie. It's...your father..." Annie solemnly replied.

"What's wrong with him? Is he alright? What happened? Tell me, tell me!" Melissa was practically panicking right now.

"Your father...was not dong well. He was having trouble breathing and just collapsed...I called the emergency services. They're taking him to the hospital right now..."

"Is he going to be okay?" She knew her father had been in and out of the hospital a couple of times over the past half year...could it be his time? "_I hope not..."_

Annie sighed heavily as she spoke. "Melissa...I...I...I don't think so...I don't know. All I can say is...I think you need to get to the hospital right now."

"We'll be there, we'll be there!" Melissa said as she hung up the phone. "Ralph, Bert, we need to get to the hospital right now. My father is in trouble!"

"We'll go with you, honey," Ralph worriedly said. He was dreading what could possibly happen..."Bert, are you going with us?"

"I'll go," Bert said as the three of them hurried to the hospital, racing through the pouring rain.

Soon, the trio were sitting in Evergreen Hospital's waiting room, all of them soaking wet. All they could do is wait for news...

"I hope the news is good, honey," Ralph warmly said.

"I hope so too. Dad can't die. He has to live long enough to see his grandchild. He has to," she repeated to herself, in a state of complete panic and worry...quite a contrast to the excitement she had been feeling when she felt her baby kick for the first time earlier today.

"Maybe ol' Mike'll be just fine?" Bert said, trying to let Melissa know he was here for her too.

"I hope so..."

At last, Dr. Hensley came walking into the waiting room, gnawing on his pencil as he usually did. "Melissa Raccoon...?" he asked.

Melissa and Ralph both stood up. "Dr. Hensley, how's my father? Please...please...tell me he's going to be alright..." she hopefully asked him.

"Mrs. Raccoon...I'm sorry to say...your father's cancer has spread very rapidly throughout his body. It's spread to most of his other internal organs. His organs are literally on the verge of completely shutting down. He's conscious right now...but we can't be sure how much longer he'll stay that way. I don't expect him to survive the night..." Dr. Hensley solemnly informed her.

"What? No! No! No!" Melissa said, tears immediately trickling down her face. "My father can't die! He can't! No, no, no!" she sobbed.

"I'm sorry, Melissa," Ralph said, giving her a hug in the hopes it could make her feel a little better. "I'm sorry...Doc, isn't there anything you can do? Isn't there something you could do that could keep him alive a few months longer? My wife really wants him to see our child after it's born."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Raccoon...we've done all we can, but there is nothing more we can really do for him. I wish I _could _say there was something I could do for him to let him live a little longer...but the best thing we can do is make him comfortable in his final hours."

"Please," Melissa said through her tears, "let me at least see him before he dies..."

"Follow me, Mrs. Raccoon," Dr. Hensley said as he led Melissa to the emergency room.

Melissa saw her father lying in a hospital bed, a number of IV tubes hooked up to him and a tube inserted in his nostrils to help him breathe easier. It was...surreal seeing her father in this state. He was so weak...so frail. It was a huge contrast to the hot-headed man she fondly remembered.

"Hi, honey..." Mike weakly said as Melissa came to sit beside him. "Almost didn't recognize ya with that," he said, glancing at his daughter's pregnant belly. "Starting to get really big there, aren't you?"

"Well, I can't really help it, Dad..." Melissa said. "It's part of being pregnant. I'm not that comfortable getting bigger, but...I wanted a child. I have to go through with this," she sighed. She had made sure to tell her father she was pregnant shortly after she found out...she wanted him to know. And now, she realized he was never going to see his grandchild. Before today was over, he would be gone...

"We all gotta endure hardships sometimes..." Mike sighed. "These past few months have been hell..."

"Have they told you, Dad?"

"Yeah..." Mike sadly said. "They told me. I'm not gonna live to see tomorrow..."

"Dad...are you afraid?" Melissa asked him.

"Actually...no...I'm not afraid," Mike said, looking a bit more up-beat. "I'm actually kinda glad to die. I've been suffering worse and worse these past few months...I'm glad I'm not gonna feel this pain anymore. Plus, there's one thing I'm really lookin' forward to..."

"What's that?" Melissa wondered.

"Allie. Your mother. In a few hours I'm gonna get to see her again. I've been waitin' to see her for what feels like a lifetime, and I've missed her so much. But now, I'm finally gonna see her again. I can almost hear her voice already. D'ya think she'll be proud of me? The last thing she asked of me was to look after you and make sure you grew up alright. D'ya think she would be proud of how I did?" Mike weakly asked his daughter.

"I'm sure, Dad," Melissa smiled. "I'm sure she would. I bet she can't wait to see you again soon and tell you how good a job you did keeping your promise to her."

"I sure hope so..." Mike faintly smiled. "Y'know, I always thought Allie would have really liked Ralph...I think she would have been proud of you marrying someone like him."

"I can only imagine..." Melissa sighed. "Dad...I don't want you to go. I wanted you to see my baby before you died. Now, you're not even going to get that chance. It's not fair...oh, if only I had managed to get you to quit smoking...you wouldn't be in this situation..."

"Melissa, sweetheart, don't blame yourself...It's all my fault. If I were smarter, I would have never smoked in the first place. If I had more willpower, I woulda listened to you and stopped smoking and maybe gotten a few more years to live...If Allie didn't die from this disease herself, I think she would have gotten me off smoking. But if she lived, your life might have been very different...you might not have married Ralph. You might still be living in Kentucky."

"I don't want to live in Kentucky, even if I was born there," Melissa replied. "This is my home, Dad. I love it here."

"I'm glad..." Mike sighed. "Melissa...I'm sorry I'm not gonna be there to see the little fella come into the world. I woulda really liked to see that."

"I know you would..." Melissa said, tears appearing in her eyes again.

"D'ya know what it's gonna be? Is it a boy or a girl?" Mike asked.

"We don't know yet, Dad..." Melissa replied. "Ralph and I are supposed to go in for another ultrasound soon. Hopefully we'll find out what it is..."

"I wish I could know what it was..." Mike said."You gotta promise me something, Melissa...promise me you'll see to it that little guy grows up and has a good life. Will ya do that?"

"Of course I will, Dad."

"Melissa, d'ya remember...I told you when I died, I wanted to be cremated," Mike changed the subject.

"I remember," Melissa nodded. "I will make sure you get your wish."

"Yeah, but, I forgot to tell ya...Melissa, honey, when I'm cremated, I want you to keep my ashes. That way, you'll always have something to remember me by..."

Melissa grabbed her father's paw, but not hard enough to yank the IVs out. "I will, Dad. I'll buy a little urn and I'll keep your ashes on my bedroom dresser. You'll always be with me, Daddy."

"Yeah," Mike said. "And you always got your memories of me...don't you?"

"I do," Melissa said as she hugged her father. "Daddy...I'll never forget you..."

"I'll always be with ya, Melissa..." Mike smiled. "I know that's something you've probably heard on who-the-hell-knows how many TV shows and movies, and read in God-only-knows how many books...but I will always be with you."

After a while, Mike fell asleep as Melissa looked on. A few hours passed and much to Melissa's dismay, she saw her father's heart rate on the monitor begin plummeting. Mike heaved a bit as his heart monitor completely flat lined. Melissa felt the saddest she had ever felt in her life...she had watched her father pass away.

"Oh Daddy..." Melissa said through a flurry of tears. "I...I...I'm gonna miss you Daddy..."

* * *

><p>A few days have passed in the Evergreen Forest since Mike Mulligan passed away. Melissa has taken her father's death really hard. At least Mike had opted to be cremated; which spared her the pain of having to attend his funeral. Still, she couldn't believe her father was actually gone...<p>

It was early in the morning and Melissa was sitting on the couch, holding the urn that contained her father's ashes. "I can't believe this is all that is left of him..." Melissa sighed. "He never got to live to see his grandchild born...why does it have to be this way?" Melissa didn't quite understand.

Presently, Ralph came into the living room with a jar of peanut butter he had fetched for her. He was still helping her satisfy her constant food cravings. "Here you go, honey," he said as he handed her the jar. "How are you feeling today?"

"A little better than yesterday," Melissa admitted, "I just don't understand. Why did my father have to go? He wasn't even sixty...he could have had thirty good years ahead of him if he didn't smoke."

"Like I've said, Melissa, some people don't have the willpower to quit things they are addicted to," Ralph shrugged. "I don't really know what more I could say there to help you..."

"I know you're trying your best to help me, sweetie, and for that, I thank you very much," Melissa managed a smile as she gave Ralph a small hug. "I just need some time to get over this..."

"I understand," Ralph nodded.

"I mean, I'm just so torn up he's never going to see his grandchild," Melissa said. "I wanted him to see it and he never got the chance..."

Ralph tried to think of something that might brighten her up a bit. "I'm sure he will get to see it. Wherever he is now, he's probably got a front row view now."

"It's not the same as him being there in person, Ralph..." Melissa sighed.

"Still, at least he and your mother are reunited again," Ralph said, trying to think on the bright side.

"I guess so...I'm just feeling pretty depressed, Ralph. I'm the last of my family left alive. I'm the last Mulligan. There are none of us left..."

"You're _not _the last Mulligan left, Melissa," Ralph quickly informed her, pointing to her belly. "You're forgetting about our baby. You're a Mulligan by birth, so our baby has Mulligan blood. It's half Mulligan. Your family's blood will still get to live on...perhaps for generations to come!"

"I know that, Ralph, but the name is gone forever..." Melissa sighed.

"Melissa, cheer up. You've still got your memories of your father, right?"

"Yeah..." Melissa sighed as she thought of happy times with her father. Riding piggyback with him when she was a little child. Him reading a storybook to her as a child. The two of them on a school field trip together. Mike smiling as Melissa hugged him at first her high school graduation, then her college graduation. Telling her father she loved him and she would miss him as she was preparing to leave him to go with her then-new husband on their honeymoon..."You're right, Ralph."

"I know how it feels...I lost my Dad about this time two years ago," Ralph said. "You'll get over it soon. Besides, there are good things ahead...our child'll be here in September, right?"

"Right," Melissa nodded. "I can't wait until it's here."

"And besides, in a couple of days we'll probably find out what we're going to have," Ralph smiled. "Plus our anniversary is in less than a week."

"Oh, our anniversary!" Melissa gasped. She had almost forgot about that entirely. "Oh no, I almost forgot about that..."

"Well, I reminded you," Ralph smiled. "Thirteen years together...can you believe it?"

"Thirteen years together and we're only now having a child," Melissa remarked.

"Better late than never, right?" Ralph smiled as he gave her a kiss.

"Right. Better late than never," Melissa forced a small smile.

At that moment, Bert came downstairs. It was almost noon-lucky for him it was an off day for the _Standard_. "Mornin', you two," Bert smiled. "How are ya, Melissa? Feeling a little better today?"

"A little," Melissa admitted. "I think I'll get better...it'll just take some time..."

"I understand. But hey...we're here for ya, Melissa. We'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, Bert," Melissa smiled.

"No problem. Hey, mind if I get the mail for ya?" Bert asked. "Maybe we got something good today."

"Sure, Bert," Ralph said. "Probably just fan letters and letters for Melissa's column," he shrugged.

Bert stepped out the door and grabbed the mail out of the box. "Hmm..." he said, as he quickly thumbed through the mail. "Junk, junk, junk, junk, fan letter, fan letter...a chance to win $500,000...We always get those!"

Then he noticed a small envelope lying on the ground just beneath the box. "Hmm...wonder what this is?" Bert read the words on the envelope. "_From a secret admirer,_" Bert said. "Oh boy...another letter from this secret admirer person," Bert rolled his eyes. "Wonder what they're going to say this time..."

"Maybe you should read it, Bert," Melissa said.

"Alright," Bert said. "I still get the feeling this is all a joke someone's playin' on me..." Bert opened the envelope and removed the letter.

He quickly began to read it aloud. "_Dear Bert: I know I have written you a fair amount of these letters, and perhaps you are tired of receiving them._" Bert had to laugh. "Hey, they know I'm starting to get tired of these! It's like we think alike!" Bert continued to read: "_But you won't have to worry about that anymore-this is my very last letter to you. I have decided that I should be bold enough to reveal who I am to you. I want you to know who loves you. Please, be at the Blue Spruce Cafe by noon. I will be there waiting to meet you. You'll know who to look for as I'll be wearing a flower in my hair. I hope to see you there._" As usual, the letter was not signed.

Bert was bemused by this letter. "So, they want to meet me?" Suddenly, he began to get excited. Whoever had wrote these letters to him had told him they loved him and wished they could be together...and now they wanted to meet him. He had been hoping he could find love ever since Lisa rejected his...now maybe, it was about to find him.

"Looks that way," Ralph said. "Must have been written this morning and whoever dropped it in the box didn't put it in there well enough for it to stay. Wonder who it could be?" he asked, even though thanks to Melissa, he knew who the identity of the secret admirer was.

"Beats me..." Bert said. "But I gotta meet her! Maybe this could lead to something..." Suddenly, Bert realized something. "What if this is all a prank? This could be humiliating! I don't want to get embarrassed like _that_..."

"You will never know unless you find out," Melissa said, smiling as she realized her friend had grown bold enough to try to tell Bert of her feelings of him.

"I guess not..." Bert said. He quickly glanced at the clock. "Uh oh! It's twelve-fifteen...I think I better get going if I want to meet them!" Bert quickly dashed out the front door towards the Blue Spruce Cafe.

Ralph turned to Melissa. "This could be it for Bert," Ralph grinned.

"It could be," Melissa hopefully said. "I hope so. Bert really needs something good to happen in his life...I think he's going to get a pleasant surprise in Maxie. I think they will really be good for each other."

"Yeah. Life will get a lot better for Bert with a girlfriend. I can say that from experience," Ralph grinned. "My life was pretty crummy before you came along."

"I know...and life can only go up from here for Bert," Melissa nodded.

"Do you think if they get together, maybe he might end up going to live with her? It would give us a room for our baby...I'm touched Bert offered to share his room with the little guy, but I don't think that should be permanent..."

"We'll see Ralph...we'll see."

Meanwhile, Bert was walking through the woods, heading towards the Blue Spruce Cafe. Thousands of thoughts were racing through his head. Who would be awaiting him there at the Cafe? "_I'm gonna find out soon enough,_" he quickly thought to himself. Perhaps he would find a very nice woman awaiting him. At least, that's what he was _hoping_ for...

"But," he said aloud, "what if this is all a big prank? What if someone is pulling my leg?" Bert was well aware this could be a possibility. It would be awfully cruel of someone to write phony secret admirer letters to someone lonely and looking for love like him for about a year and then reveal that they were pulling a fast one on him, but he knew there were definitely people out there who would take pleasure in doing such a thing. "_Hell...I probably would have back when I was in high school,_" Bert had to admit. He used to be a real mischief maker back in high school and couldn't help but admit that was something he probably would have done in high school. "I've changed since then, but there will always be people like that..." Bert sighed. "God, I hope that's not what I'm gonna find..."

Bert's thoughts then turned to more _sinister_ ones. "What if someone is out to get me...?" Bert knew there were some people lured in by letters like that; they had been kidnapped or even worse, killed. He had remembered seeing a story on the news once about a woman who had been led in by letters from someone claiming to be interested in her only for her to be brutally murdered by a madman who had been seeking a victim and had roped in the first person who wrote back to him. He was well aware this was a situation far more likely to befall a woman, but it wasn't impossible..."I'm just being silly," Bert shrugged it off. "It's almost lunch time. Lots of folks are taking their lunch break from work and are havin' a bite to eat. The place is usually pretty packed around lunch time...nobody would be _that_ stupid to try pulling something like that in a place with a lot of possible witnesses...or _would _they?" Bert definitely knew there were some idiotic criminals out there...his mind turned to a recent news story he remembered seeing in which a weasel's attempt to rob a doughnut shop at gunpoint was, unsurprisingly, _immediately_ foiled by the three Mounties who had been drinking coffee and eating doughnuts at the shop. "Some criminals _do_ make things _way _too easy for the police..." Bert mused. "I hope that's not what I'm going to find..." Still, as Melissa said, there was only one way he could find out.

Soon, Bert reached the ever-familiar Blue Spruce Cafe. "Alright..." Bert said to himself. "Here we go. I'm about to find out who wrote those letters..."

Bert quickly stepped into the Cafe. Schaeffer was standing behind the counter, per usual, and greeted the nervous raccoon.

"Hello there Bert," Schaeffer said, "here for lunch? What'll it be?"

"Eh..." Bert figured he might as well get lunch while he was here, as he hadn't eaten anything yet today. "I guess the usual peanut butter special will do."

"I can always count on you to order the same thing," Schaeffer laughed.

"Schaef, I kinda came here because..." Bert paused for a moment.

"Because why?" Schaeffer wondered.

"Because...do you remember those letters I got from a secret admirer? Ya know...the ones I've been getting from time to time this past year?"

"Yes, I do remember those. I believe you showed me a few of them," Schaeffer remarked.

"Well, whoever wrote them wanted me to meet them here today," Bert said. "Do you know where I should look?" Bert could already see the place was pretty crowded...virtually every table was nearly full.

"Oh! I remember, I almost forgot about that. Your 'secret admirer' came in a little after twelve. She said you would be here in a little while."

"Where is she, Schaef? Can ya tell me where she's sitting?" Bert had no clue where to look.

"I think you should look around for her. I remember, she asked me to tell you to look for the flower in her hair," Schaeffer smiled. "She said it would be an easy way for you to find her."

"Huh...I guess I'll have to look..." Bert sighed. "Thanks, Schaef."

"No problem, Bert. I'll have your peanut butter special ready for you in a few minutes..."

Bert took a look around the Cafe. Where was he supposed to look? He didn't know where to start. But at least Schaeffer knew who was waiting for him. Maybe a nice woman _would _be waiting for Bert. That, or Schaeffer was in on the whole joke...

Bert walked around the restaurant, looking for a woman who was wearing a flower in her hair. He saw quite a number of women, but none who had a flower in their hair. Many of them stared at Bert like he was an idiot for gazing at them. "Huh...I don't think she's here...I think I might have been had."

Presently, Bert heard a soft voice he found familiar coming from not too far away. "Hello there, Bert," the voice called to him.

"I'd recognize that voice in a minute," Bert said to himself as he turned around to see exactly who he expected to see sitting at a table near the Cafe's stage: Maxie Ringtail.

"Hey there, Max," Bert cheerfully smiled at his friend as he waved to her. It was a bit odd to see her having lunch at the very place she worked, he had to admit. He decided to ask her about that. "What are you doing here? You work here, don't you?"

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I can't have lunch here if I want to, does it?" Maxie replied.

"No, I suppose not," Bert admitted. "I'm kind of waiting on lunch myself, I guess..."

"Ah, perhaps you would like to eat lunch with me, Bert? Why don't you take a seat?" Maxie smiled warmly at him.

"Sure, I don't mind," Bert said as he sat down at the table across from her.

Maxie quickly reached across and tapped Bert on his wrist. "Do you notice something about me, Bert?"

"Notice what...?"

"Well, take a good look and you'll see," she smiled again.

"Erm...ah..." Bert quickly took a good look at Maxie. He didn't notice anything really different about her...she looked about the same as she normally did.

Then Bert saw something: he noticed Maxie had a small yellow daffodil neatly tucked behind her ear, sticking out of her hair...

"...a flower?"

"Yes," Maxie nodded.

Bert quickly remembered what that letter had told him. "_You'll know who to look for as I'll be wearing my flower in my hair..._"

"M-M-Maxie...?"

**END CHAPTER TWELVE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, that was chapter twelve...only three chapters left in this story before we reach the end. I'm actually feeling a little sad that this story is going to end pretty soon...I've had a lot of fun writing it. Only a few notes this time...

I thought it would be a nice gesture of Bert to offer to share his room with the new baby. Bert, I can definitely see being like a friend to all children. After all, being the goofy guy he is, he reminds me a lot of the boy who never grew up. He reminds me of ME, basically. Bert is sure to make fast friends with Ralph and Melissa's child...which you'll probably see in the next story.

Looks like Maxie is finally getting on track in life...taking anti-depressant can definitely help someone in her state. She even (with Lisa's help) now has the courage to finally let Bert know how she feels about him. Bert looks pretty surprised to discover that Maxie was his secret admirer! I thought this would be a good place to leave off on for this chapter...Yes, I am a bastard to enough to have TWO cliffhangers in this story. What will happen? You'll see next chapter...

And sadly, Mike Mulligan is no more. His love for his cigarettes proved to be his undoing...leaving Melissa heartbroken. It's pretty sad, but it's something almost all of us will face at some point: probably 95% of us will live to see our parents die. Which is how it should be...things become _even more _tragic when a parent lives to see their child die. No parent should ever have to go through that, but sadly, more than a few do. It is hard to lose a parent...I haven't gone through that experience yet, but I definitely imagine it would be a rather traumatic and saddening experience. Melissa will get better...but it will take a little time.

Next chapter, we'll see what happens with Bert and Maxie, and a few other things...among them, Ralph and Melissa finally find out what gender their child is...albeit with quite a twist...which you'll see in the long run. And of course, in Chapter 15, the last chapter, the new baby finally enters the world...


	13. Chapter 13: We're Not So Far Apart

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: So here we are at Chapter 13, with just three more chapters left in this story...it's hard to believe we're almost at the end of this story. So far, Melissa experienced a desire to have children after realizing most of her friends had children and she did not, but Ralph initially did not agree with her on the subject and thought they might be best off not having any kids. He soon managed to change his mind, however, and he and Melissa began their efforts to conceive a child together. At first it seemed their efforts might be in vain, but just in time for Christmas, Melissa finally got pregnant. However, five months have passed and Melissa has been in for a rather rough ride as she has been gaining weight, experienced food cravings, and recently started feeling the baby kicking. To top it all off, last chapter, her father lost his battle with cancer, stressing her out even more as she realized he would never see his grandchild. While she's still anticipating the birth of her and Ralph's first child, she is going through some rough times, as she will voice her frustrations to Ralph in this chapter...and in the meantime, the couple will also find out what gender their child is. What gender will their baby be? You'll see...Meanwhile, Maxie Ringtail has been depressed for a long time, but Melissa encouraged her to see a psychiatrist, and now that she is medicated, her mood has begun to improve. With her growing confidence and help from Lisa, she finally revealed her feelings to Bert...much to his surprise. You'll find out what happens next in this chapter...will Maxie get her man? Or will she be left heartbroken?

You'll just have to find out in...

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: We're Not So Far Apart**

"Yes, it's me, Bert," Maxie said, trying her best to maintain a smile. It was a bit of a relief for her. She had finally gotten it out there: she had finally made Bert realized she was in love with him. "_I just wonder what he's going to say..._"

Bert, on the other hand, was completely speechless. Bert had a feeling that he was to meet someone here who had been pulling his leg...most likely Bentley. "_Bentley does like to play jokes on me from time to time...I wouldn't have been surprised to find him here."_ Bert was relieved this wasn't a prank. He _had _been hoping a nice woman would be waiting for him here at the Cafe...and in his book, Maxie Ringtail certainly fit that bill. But Bert couldn't believe it. "_Her? I...I...I never thought she would love me. I thought if I did meet a nice woman here, it'd be one of my old high school girlfriends...but Maxie?_"

Bert was utterly silent as Maxie continued to gaze at him. It was a very awkward moment. Bert didn't even notice Schaeffer as he brought Bert's peanut butter special to him.

"I see you've gotten quite a surprise there, Bert," Schaeffer smiled as he placed Bert's plate before him.

"Uh...y-y-y-yeah, t-t-thanks, S-S-Schaeff," Bert stammered as he turned back towards Maxie, still unsure of what to say.

Maxie didn't know what to make of Bert's reaction upon finding out she was his secret admirer. "_He's awfully silent...is that a good thing or a bad thing?_" She figured it was up to her to break the ice. "I see I've really surprised you there, Bert...I hope I haven't scared you?"

Bert finally found the courage to speak to her. "No, Max...I'm not scared...just really...surprised. I didn't realize you had a little crush on me this whole time."

Maxie couldn't help but blush. "Well, it's more than just a little crush, Bert...I _really_ like you. No...I love you. I really do, Bert. I really do love you."

Bert had been so upset when Lisa had told him she didn't love him that he had gotten to the point where he doubted he would ever hear a woman tell him she loved him. Now he had just heard his close friend tell him those words. It was such a big surprise to him. "_Could all that time I spent talking to her over these past years have caused her to fall for me?_" It _did _seem to make sense to him..."How long have ya felt like this, Max?"

"Oh...a long time. I don't know how long exactly...it's been a few years," Maxie admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Bert curiously asked.

"I wanted to, Bert, I _really _wanted to...But you know me, Bert. I'm a rather shy person...plus I couldn't just come out and tell you. You were in love with Lisa. I knew if I told you back then you would reject me for Lisa. I didn't want to face that happening..."

Bert knew she was right. Had she told him how she felt a while ago, Bert _knew_ he would have turned her down because he was trying (and failing) to win Lisa's heart. "It must have taken a lot of courage for you to go to all this trouble to tell me how you felt."

"It did..." Maxie admitted. But she couldn't help but feel relieved that she had actually told him how she felt. "I feel a lot better telling you, though. Boy, does it feel good getting it off my chest!"

"I bet..." Bert nodded. "Any reason why you put the flower in your hair?"

"Oh, well, I thought it would be a cute little touch...plus it was an easy way for you to find me here, I figured." Maxie was feeling hopeful. Maybe she _did_ have a chance with Bert...and she had something she wanted to ask him. "Bert, may I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Bert..." Maxie hesitated a bit before she continued, "...how would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

"You mean like a date?" Bert asked.

"It doesn't have to be one if you don't want to think of it as one. So, what do you say?" Maxie was hopeful Bert would say "yes" to her.

Bert was hesitant to reply. He didn't quite know how he truly felt about Maxie. "_I know Max is a nice woman and a good friend...but could she maybe be a little more than just a friend?_" Bert didn't know the answer to that question. "_Still, she went to so much trouble to tell me how she feels...it would be awfully rude of me to turn her offer down. I suppose it wouldn't hurt..._"

Bert sighed as he finally gave his reply. "Well...alright, Max. You got me. I suppose it couldn't hurt to go out to dinner with ya..."

Deep inside, Maxie was practically squealing with joy. "_He said yes to me! I think I might have a chance!_" She suppressed the urge to jump for joy, though, as she knew that would probably scare or confuse him. "You do, Bert? Wonderful! We can go out tonight, if you like."

"Tonight...?" Bert wasn't expecting it to be _that _soon. "Erm...are you sure? Don't you have work here tonight?"

"Actually, Schaeffer was nice enough to give me the night off. So how about tonight, Bert? Does seven sound good for you?"

"Er...well, I guess," Bert shrugged. "Where would you like to go, Max?"

"Anywhere but here, Bert. I've seen enough of this place; I'd rather eat dinner somewhere other than where I work..." Maxie admitted. "How about Chockley's?"

"Is that the new Chinese Food restaurant that opened up last year?"

"Yeah, it is," Maxie nodded. "What do you say?"

"Sure, that's fine," Bert replied as he hurriedly finished his peanut butter special. "I think I oughta be going, Max...I guess I'll see ya at seven?"

"Sure thing, Bert. Meet me at my place at seven, if you don't mind," she smiled fondly as she waved goodbye to the man she loved. "_I can't believe it...I have a date with Bert! Oh, I only wonder how this will all turn out..._"

Meanwhile, back at the Raccoondominium, Melissa was eating some peanut butter as she had gotten hungry yet again. Ralph, meanwhile, was busy vacuuming the house...a task normally reserved for Melissa. Since she had gotten pregnant, however, most of the housework gradually became her husband's responsibility. "_I don't like feeling helpless...I feel like I'm not useful for much of anything now_," she sighed. She glanced down at her bulging stomach as she placed a paw over it. "_Y_ou know, little one, you're **really **causing me some stress here...but you're still worth it_,_" she softly spoke to her own belly, wondering if her unborn baby could hear her.

At that moment, the front door of the Raccoondominium flew open as Bert came into the humble domicile. Ralph turned off the vacuum cleaner as he greeted his house guest.

"Hi, Bert," Ralph said. "So, was your secret admirer waiting for you at the Blue Spruce Cafe? I know the letter said she would be..."

"Yeah, she was," Bert replied. "You're not gonna guess who it was, either. I was really surprised when I found who it was..."

"Maxie Ringtail?" Ralph quickly responded.

Bert was surprised that Ralph knew who his secret admirer was. "You _knew_, Ralph? How the hell do you know?"

"Well..." Ralph shrugged, "Melissa sort of told me..."

"You knew too, Melissa?" Bert was surprised. His friends knew Maxie was in love with him? How on earth had _they _figured it out?

"I've known for well over a year now, Bert," Melissa said as she reclined on the couch. "As a matter of fact..._I _was the one who gave her the idea of writing letters to you in the first place."

"_You _were...?" Bert was surprised. All this time, Melissa had been trying to get him and Maxie together...and he hadn't even known about it.

"I was," Melissa nodded. "She was upset you liked Lisa instead of her, and I tried to help her find a way to get your attention. I think she definitely has your attention now, Bert!"

"I suppose..." He had connected the dots in his head...it _did _make sense to him that she felt that way about him. It _did _make sense that she had written him those letters...he remembered when he first told her he had received those letters. Her response had rather confused him: "_I couldn't tell you who wrote that letter, Bert, but I will say you should keep your eyes open. You never know, that special someone could be a lot closer than you think..._" It made sense to him now... "_She was trying to flirt with me and I didn't get the hint. Huh. So she really **was** in love with me this whole_ _time..._"

"So, what happened between you two?" Ralph curiously asked.

"Well...she asked me if I'd like to go out to dinner with her tonight," Bert replied.

"What did you say?" Melissa asked.

"I said yes. I guess it's better than staying around the house all night..."

"Looks like you've got a date, Bert," Ralph smiled at his old friend as he placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess I do..." Suddenly, realization struck Bert...he couldn't believe he'd actually said yes to Maxie. This wasn't anything like what he tried to pull with Lisa...this couldn't be described as anything _but_ a date. Bert realized he had gotten himself into _quite _a predicament. "Oh...Oh God! I have a date!" Bert panicked as he started racing around the Raccoondominium's living room in a frenzy. "With Maxie Ringtail, of all people! I haven't got a clue on dating...oh God! What do I do, what do I do?"

"Calm down, Bert," Melissa said as she got up from the couch, trying to calm her panicked friend down. "It's not _that _big a deal...you don't need to stress yourself out about it!"

"But I can't help it, Melissa...I'm _clueless_ when it comes to dating!" Pretty much all of his womanizing skills from his youth had completely faded away with the passage of time...

"And to think you were once a real womanizer," Ralph chuckled. "What time are you supposed to meet her? And where are you going?"

"She said to meet her at her place at seven," Bert said, "and we're going to Chockley's...ya know, the new Chinese restaurant that opened up about a year ago?"

"Ah, I remember," Ralph nodded. "She's in the mood for Chinese food?"

"I don't know...she wanted to go someplace other than the Blue Spruce Cafe," Bert shrugged.

"Well, I can understand; she probably wouldn't want to go out to where she works," Melissa laughed. "No need to panic there, Bert...you've still got a few hours to get ready!"

"Yeah..." Bert said, still feeling nervous. For the first time in what seemed like ages, he actually had a date...and he had no clue what could possibly happen tonight. "_I have a bad feeling something's gonna go wrong..._"

* * *

><p>A few hours have passed and now it's a little after six o'clock. Most of the Forest's residents have either gotten out of work or are about to get out of work. Many of them are happy to be home with their families. Some, however, have <em>other <em>plans tonight...

Bert was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, frantically combing his hair. He'd already tossed on his old sport jacket...he figured it made him look a little more "stylish" than normal. He didn't know why he was so hyped up over going out with Maxie Ringtail. "_She's just a friend of mine...I don't know if I feel that way about her. I don't_ **_think _**_I do..._" But Bert couldn't be sure. "But who knows...?" he said to himself. "I guess we'll find out what happens soon..."

Bert was having trouble combing his hair, however, as one part of his hair didn't want to stay down. "Dammit! Stay down, will ya?" Bert grunted as he tried to comb the offending lock of hair. It seemed to have a mind of its own right now. "Damn! I said _stay _down!"

At that moment, Melissa opened the bathroom door...she had felt the urge to use the bathroom and had gone upstairs, only to find Bert frantically trying to comb his hair. "Having a little trouble there, Bert?"

"Yeah, this one part of my hair just won't stay DOWN!" Bert said as he tried to comb it again. To no avail-as soon as he did, it stood right back up again. "I look terrible, don't I?"

"You look fine, Bert," Melissa smiled. "I'm sure Maxie won't mind. But, ah...Bert...I kind of need to use the bathroom right now...could you step out for a minute?"

"Huh, you've had to go to the bathroom a lot more often since you got pregnant..." Bert muttered. Melissa quickly scowled at him, as she wasn't in the mood for Bert's "smart" mouth... "Ah! Go ahead, go ahead!"

After a few minutes, Melissa came out of the bathroom. "Goodness, I just went to the bathroom and already I feel hungry again..."

"Don't tell me..." Bert groaned... "Peanut butter again?"

"Yeah..." Melissa said, still feeling ashamed she was eating peanut butter as much as or more often than Bert.

"Boy, am _I _gonna be glad when this is all over..." Bert scowled.

"Me too, Bert...me too..." Melissa nodded in agreement. "So, I guess you're ready for your little date with Maxie, huh?"

"I suppose so..." Bert admitted. He was still nervous and admittedly unsure of what to do. "Ya know, Melissa, I'm glad I caught ya. I...I kind of need some advice..."

"You want advice?" Melissa smiled. "Well, you've come to someone who can help you out there."

"What should I do, Melissa? I don't want to act like an idiot and get her mad at me and end up screwing up our whole friendship..." Bert sighed. "If anyone can screw up something that bad, it's probably me...I have quite the talent for messing things up..."

"Oh, relax, Bert," Melissa laughed. "Just be yourself and you can't go wrong. Don't go _too_ overboard like you did with Lisa, but just be yourself. You already have her attention and she already likes you; you don't need to try too hard."

"Alright..." Bert sighed. "Erm...sorry, Melissa...I just can't help but be nervous...I mean, it's been so long since I've been on a date..."

"Bert, just relax. I'm sure you'll do just fine!" Melissa encouragingly smiled.

"I hope so..." Bert nervously twiddled his fingers. "Err...do ya think she'll like flowers? Flowers aren't overdoing it, are they?"

"I think flowers would be fine, Bert. Most women love flowers-I know I do!" Melissa smirked. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"Ah, thanks, Melissa." Bert glanced at a clock hanging on the hallway. "Oh...oh damn! It's almost six-thirty...I think I better get going!" With that, Bert raced downstairs and towards the front door. "See ya later, Ralphie boy-I gotta go!"

"Wow, you're in a hurry there, Bert," Ralph said as he glanced away from the book he was reading.

"Can't talk, Ralphie boy...I gotta get moving!" With that, Bert hurriedly raced out the Raccoondominium's front door. He knew Maxie would be waiting for him...he knew it would be impolite to keep her waiting.

Melissa came downstairs and sat next to her husband. "Well, I guess Bert's off on his date, then," she said.

"Yeah," Ralph replied. "Wonder what's gonna happen between him and Maxie? Do you think they will get together, honey?"

"I hope so, but we'll just have to wait and see," Melissa said, as she suddenly felt a now rather familiar sensation...she _definitely _knew what it was. "Ralph, the baby's kicking again..."

"Mind if I feel it?" Ralph asked her hopefully.

"Sure thing," Melissa said as she allowed Ralph to place his paw on her stomach. Ralph couldn't help but grin feeling his child moving around inside his wife's belly. It never failed to bring a smile to his face. "Active little guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah..." Melissa sighed.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Evergreen Forest, another raccoon was also in a bit of a frenzy, getting ready for her date.

Maxie was standing in front of her bedroom mirror, hurriedly combing her hair. Annie was sitting on her mother's bed, watching her mother get herself ready for her date with Bert.

"Annie, how do I look?" Maxie said as she placed her hairbrush back on her dresser. "Tell me how I look...do you think Bert will be impressed?"

"I think you look quite nice, Mom," Annie smiled. "No need to overdo it...you're trying to impress Bert, not scare him off, remember?"

"Right, right," Maxie said as she sprayed some of her old perfume on. "I wonder if Bert will like the smell..."

"Maybe, we'll see," Annie replied.

"I just hope I don't smell like a skunk or something..." Maxie worried to herself.

"I think you'll be alright, Mom. So, do you think you and Bert are going to get together after tonight? You know, boyfriend and girlfriend?" she smiled at her mother.

"Oh, I do hope so," Maxie nervously replied. "I just wonder if Bert would really want to be with someone like me...and I can't help but be nervous. It's been so long since I've been on a date I've practically forgotten what it's actually like!"

"You'll find out soon enough," Annie smiled. "And I'm sure you'll do just fine. Maybe you two will find you have a real connection between each other?"

"You're right...I _hope_ you're right..."

At that moment, Maxie heard a knock on her front door. It was almost seven...she knew who that was.

"Ah! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Maxie shouted as she frantically raced downstairs to get the door.

Sure enough, Bert was there to greet her at the door, a bit of a nervous looking smile on his face. "Hi there, Max," he said, twiddling with his fingers.

Maxie couldn't hide her nervousness...right now her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to burst right out of her chest. "_Well, at least he's nervous too,_" she quickly thought. "Hello, Bert. I see you've cleaned yourself up a bit," she smiled, noticing he had combed his hair and looked a little nicer.

"Yeah...kind of a hassle, I'll admit. I see you've done the same too," Bert replied.

"That I have," Maxie smiled.

"Erm, uh, Max..." Bert said, looking at the ground.

"Yes?"

"Max, I hope ya like flowers," Bert said, as he produced a small bunch of daisys from seemingly out of nowhere. Their stems were a little bit bent and the petals were slightly droopy...they weren't really much of a sight to behold.

But Maxie couldn't help but blush. "Aww...Bert, flowers? For me? Why, they're lovely, Bert! Thank you," she cheerfully smiled.

"Really, you like 'em? They don't look like much to me...I just thought it'd be something nice...so I found these growin' out in a field and picked them."

"They may be a little wilted, Bert," Maxie admitted. "But it's the thought that counts. Do you know how long it has been since a man gave me flowers?"

"How long?" Bert asked.

"The last time I got flowers from a man, I think it was my Dad for my birthday _way _back when I was a teenager. Let me just put these in a vase and I'll be out in a minute, okay?" she smiled.

"Sure thing," Bert shrugged. "Take your time..."

Maxie quickly grabbed a vase, poured some water in it, placed the slightly wilted flowers in the vase, and put the vase on the table. Annie was sitting at the table and smiled at her mother. "Aw, Bert brought you flowers, Mom. Isn't that nice of him?"

"They're not much, but it _is _the thought that counts," Maxie smiled. "Well, here we go...I'll see you later, Annie."

"See you, Mom," Annie smiled. "Good luck!"

Maxie came back to the door and greeted her date. "Alright, Bert. I guess I'm ready..."

"Alright..." Bert said. "Let's go eat..."

* * *

><p>Eventually, Bert and Maxie were sitting at a table at Chockley's Chinese Restaurant. They had already ordered their food and were getting ready to eat. But something seemed amiss to Maxie...Bert hadn't talked very much. He was just rather hopelessly poking at his food with his chopsticks.<p>

"Bert, what's the matter? You haven't said much tonight...something wrong?" Maxie asked, looking a little concerned.

"Oh, nothing, nothing's wrong. I just don't think we've got much to talk about..." Bert sighed. He wasn't sure what he could talk to her about. He didn't know if he even wanted to be here. This seemed to be going pretty...blandly.

"I'm sure there's something you've got on your mind, Bert," Maxie lightly smiled.

"Alright, I'll admit...I have been wonderin' something, Max," Bert admitted. "Why me? Why do you love me? I mean...c'mon, Max...I'm nothing _that _special..."

"Now don't be that hard on yourself, Bert," Maxie said, trying to cheer her date up. "You're not _that _bad..."

"I mean, I have a lot working against me...I'm pretty much just a big kid. I'm immature, for sure. Not too many women like men who are goofy and still read adventure novels on a regular basis...at best, I just get stuck as a friend. Look what happened between me and Lisa..."

"I'm not most women, Bert," Maxie smiled as she reached across the table and touched Bert's paw. "I know that can be a turn-off for many women, but it's not for me. I actually _like _the fact that you're a goofball. That's the you I've come to admire greatly."

"Really now...you actually find that attractive?" Bert smiled.

"I do, Bert...I actually _do _find you attractive," Maxie grinned. "I guess it takes a special kind of woman to love a goofy guy like you. I know you may not feel like much, and I'll admit, you're not quite the world's most handsome man," she admitted. "But you have one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. You are very loyal to your friends...you'd do anything to help them out. Plus you have been very nice to me, Bert...not very men have been that nice to me. Most men I've come across ran away when they found out I already had a child..."

"I don't care that you have a kid," Bert replied. "It's never bothered me any. I knew Annie really well before I even knew you, as a matter of fact."

"I know," Maxie nodded. "Trust me, Bert...you are a really nice guy. It might just be me, but I think you have a lot of little qualities that make you attractive...to me, at least!" She sighed. "If anything, it's me who should be worrying about you not finding me worthwhile...I mean...I'm just a boring single mom who spends most of her days in her house..."

"Ah, you're not _that _bad of a woman, Maxie. You're friendly for one...you've always listened to my crazy ideas. You may be a little shy, but you always have something interesting to say. Plus," he said in a bit of a lowered tone of voice, "I do think you're kind of cute..."

Maxie was surprised. Bert thought she was cute? "_Surely that's a compliment,_" she thought as she smiled to herself. "Cute, huh? I don't think a guy's ever called me cute before...or if they have, I don't remember..."

"Well, you're not the most attractive woman in the world," Bert replied, "but you're not _bad _looking, you know. You look pretty good for someone who had a kid!" Bert was surprised that he was actually saying that, but he did have to admit, he _did _think she was a bit attractive in a way...maybe he did feel a little something for her?

"You're not just saying that to flatter me, are you?" Maxie raised an eyebrow.

"No, Max...I wouldn't lie to you like that...you're really not a bad looking woman at all."

"Thank you, Bert," Maxie smiled. "I don't know...I just thought you would find me boring or something...I mean, I spend so much time in my house cleaning...I feel like I'm a slave to housework..."

"Well, you know what, Max? I think you oughta get out and about more often. There are some days you should just say 'You know what? I don't feel like cleaning the house today. I feel like doing whatever I want to do.' You know what I mean?"

Maxie nodded. "I probably should..." She decided to change the subject a bit. "You know what, Bert? I have always wanted to go to Bermuda. I wanted to see the sunny beaches and bathe in the bright sunshine...but I've never had the time to go. I've been trying to save money I've earned from my jobs over the years so I could go someday..."

Bert was surprised. "Bermuda? Why would you want to go there?"

"Well, I've always thought Bermuda would be a lovely place to visit...I'm seen pictures of there, it looks quite beautiful. I don't know; I've just always wanted to visit there," Maxie admitted.

"It might be a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to go there," Bert said. "Don't you know it's in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle? If you travel there, the plane might disappear. I read some books on the Bermuda Triangle, and I think there's some kind of portal there that takes you to another dimension."

Maxie had heard of the Bermuda Triangle rumors before. She didn't actually believe they were real, but she decided to humor Bert. She had always liked his sense of imagination, anyways... "Well, who knows, Bert? Maybe it would be fun to explore another dimension."

"You've got quite a point there, Max," Bert smiled. "Imagine us traveling to a place beyond our imagination! Few people have ever seen it...but what a sight it would be!"

"Oh, I bet," Maxie smiled. "The only bad thing is, well, once you go in there, you can never come back. None of those ships and planes that disappeared ever reappeared, did they?"

"Oh damn! You're right! None of them ever _did _come back!" Bert realized. "Exploring another dimension would probably be exciting, but I'd at _least _want to come back home again...I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in a strange place so far from here...I'd never get to see my friends again!"

"I definitely understand," Maxie agreed. She could tell she and Bert were really starting to hit it off. It didn't feel so awkward anymore... "Well, I've told you where I'd like to go one day...what about you, Bert? Tell me some place you'd like to visit someday."

"Ah, well..." Bert thought. "It's a bit of an odd place, so, please don't laugh at me."

"I won't," Maxie reassuringly smiled. "Tell me, where would you like to go?"

"...Antarctica."

"Antarctica?" That seemed like a bit of an odd place to visit considering it was covered in snow and ice, but she didn't question Bert. "Huh, Antarctica. What makes you want to visit Antarctica? We get enough cold weather here in the winter to last a lifetime."

"Well, I remember reading one of Sir Malcolm Havelock's not too long ago in which he discovered the ancient Antarctic kingdom of Polaris," Bert smiled as he remembered reading that book. "I know there's no such place as Polaris as Sir Malcolm Havelock is just a fiction writer. But it is a pretty exotic place, don't ya think? It would be nice to see the most untamed and rugged place on the planet!"

"I suppose so...but Antarctica is so far away from here. It's all the way on the opposite end of the world," Maxie replied. "How would you plan to get there?"

"Well, I'd take a plane," Bert said. "I know how to fly a helicopter...can't be that much different flying a plane!"

"You never know..." Maxie shrugged.

"I'd make sure to fly over the glaciers, the icebergs...oh, and the penguins. Can't forget the penguins!" Bert beamed.

"You can't see penguins from a plane, Bert..." Maxie informed him. Bert was definitely using his imagination...but, again, she had always liked listening to his odd ideas.

"Well, I'd make sure to fly low enough so I can wave to the penguins," Bert grinned. "You know, I heard penguins tip over on their backs when they see airplanes flying overhead...that'd be something to see, wouldn't it?"

Maxie could not help but giggle imagining Bert flying an airplane over a vast ice field and waving to penguins below while they fell flat on their backs. It was too amusing a mental picture. "Oh, Bert, you're so silly! See-that's something I _really_ like about you-besides your sense of imagination. You can really make me laugh!"

"I noticed," Bert chuckled.

"You know Bert, laughter is _definitely_ a good way to win a woman's heart...it sure worked on me!" Maxie continued to laugh.

"It's funny, I've heard that before, but I didn't think that was actually true," Bert smiled.

"Well, believe me, Bert-it did on me! You've probably given me the few good laughs I've had in the past twenty years or so...Really, I think most women like guys who can make them laugh."

"Ralphie boy makes Melissa laugh all the time, and he has a pretty poor sense of humor...Huh, I think you might be right there!" Bert agreed.

"So it would seem," Maxie nodded. "Speaking of Melissa, how's she doing? She got pregnant at the end of November, she said...she's what...five months along now? Five and a half?"

"Yeah, about that. Boy, has she been a _real_ handful lately...all she wants to do is eat peanut butter! Thank heavens Ralphie boy's been buyin' extra for her, otherwise, I think I'd lose my mind! Plus she's been a bit snappy lately...well, mainly at me. Sometimes at Ralphie boy...I think I'm gonna be glad when the little guy's here and this is all said and done," Bert chuckled.

"Well, those are all normal parts of pregnancy, Bert," Maxie replied. "If you think you're feeling stressed out by this, try to imagine how _Melissa_ feels. Take it from someone who's actually had the experience of being a pregnant woman before...it's definitely not fun."

"Oh, I couldn't begin to imagine having a baby growing inside my gut..." Bert shook his head. "Poor Melissa. Well, she _did _want a baby..."

"True, at least she got her wish," Maxie nodded in reply. "It will be worth it when the baby is born. Do they know what it is yet...or what?"

"Nah, not yet. They're going to find out sometime next week," Bert responded to his date's question. "Did I mention I'm going to be sharing a room with the little guy?"

"You are?" Maxie was a bit surprised. "Sure you're willing to share your room with a baby who'll probably cry every night and keep you awake?"

"I'll get used to it," Bert shrugged.

"You don't know what you're in for..." Maxie shook her head.

Bert hastily changed the subject. "I heard you're on medication now, Max?"

"Yes," Maxie nodded. "I've been taking anti-depressants for a little over a month now. I've been seeing Dr. Schroeder...I understand he's your cousin."

"Yeah, Roy's my cousin," Bert nodded.

"Funny thing is he's absolutely nothing like you Bert...he reminds me more of Ralph."

"You haven't seen him _off _the job..." Bert laughed.

"Off the job...? Oh boy. You must come from a family of goofballs, Bert," Maxie also had to laugh.

"You could say that..." Bert grinned at her.

Time quickly passed by and soon Bert and Maxie were heading back home. Bert was pleasantly surprised at much he'd actually enjoyed his little dinner date with Maxie...he thought he _did_ feel a little connection with her. "_Maybe we could work out as a couple...?_" Bert thought to himself. He wasn't sure, but he felt he wanted to find out.

Maxie herself was feeling quite pleased with how tonight had gone. She had been afraid Bert would find her boring and uninteresting, but she could tell Bert had definitely enjoyed her company tonight. "_I think he does have a bit of a soft spot for me,_" she smiled to herself as she thought about what could lie ahead for her. "_Tonight might be the start of something really big for me and Bert..._"

As they reached Maxie's front doorstep, Bert turned to face her. "Ya know what Max? I actually had a really nice time. It's been quite a long time since I've had a date...it was quite nice."

"Oh, I agree, Bert. It was quite nice...it didn't go too badly for the first time I've been on an actual date in about twenty years..." Maxie laughed. "Well! I guess I'll see you around then, Bert?"

"Hold on a minute there, Max. You're off on Sundays, right?"

"I usually am...I'm off this Sunday. Why do you ask?" Maxie was a little curious.

"Well...I'd like to know if you'd like to go bowling with me Sunday night. I'm a bit outta practice...would ya like to come along with me? I promise I won't goof up too badly..."

Maxie was excited-Bert wanted to go out with her again! "_He really does feel something for me!_" Maxie smiled. "Well, Bert...I must admit I've never actually gone bowling...but I'll go. Sounds like it could be fun." Even if she wasn't sure that it would be fun, Bert would no doubt figure out how to make it fun for her...

"It is pretty fun, and you'll learn a lot from Bert Raccoon: Ace Bowler!" Bert chuckled.

"You're an 'ace' at pretty much everything, aren't you?" Maxie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, pretty much," Bert cheekily grinned. "Hey...I guess we're dating now, huh?"

"I guess we are," Maxie said. She simply could not keep the grin off her face; she hadn't felt this happy in years. Bert had actually decided to give the idea of a relationship with her a shot.

"I wouldn't have thought you and I could make a good match for each other...I mean, you and I are so different from each other. You're shy, and well, I'm probably the goofiest guy you could ever meet." Bert smiled.

"Certainly we're very different from each other," Maxie agreed, "but if you think about it, you and I aren't all that different. We've both been lonely for a long time, haven't we...?"

"We have," Bert nodded. "But maybe we don't have to be anymore..."

"I think we might have a shot," Maxie nodded.

"Well, it was a damn good thing you wrote me that letter!" Bert laughed.

"I can't take all the credit for that, Bert...you'll never guess who gave me the idea to tell you how I felt."

"Who?" Bert wondered.

"Lisa did. She thought it would be a good idea. I was a bit skeptical...but I'm glad something came out of it," Maxie broadly smiled.

"Lisa, huh? Well...guess I'm really gonna have to thank her, aren't I?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea," she agreed. "I think I owe her big time, too."

"Well, it's late. I better get back home before Ralphie boy and Melissa start wonderin' what the hell we're up to. See ya Sunday, Max?" Bert asked her.

"Sure thing, Bert. I'll see you Sunday. Call me when you're ready to go and I'll meet you at the bowling alley...I think I know where it is."

"Well, alright. See ya then, Max!" Bert grinned as he headed back to the Raccoondominium.

"See you then, Bert," Maxie smiled as she waved goodbye to her new boyfriend. She sighed, thinking of how today went. Things had gone a _lot _better than she had expected them to...she expected Bert to find her a poor match for him. The fact that they had actually felt a connection had been a pleasant surprise to her. It looked like her wish was coming true...she and Bert had started a relationship together. "_I can't help but wonder what will come out of our new_ _relationship..._" Maxie thought to herself. She thought of her friend Melissa, and all the kind things she had to say about her husband Ralph, and how glad she was to have married him. "Could that be me and Bert happily married someday...?" she wondered. "I'm thinking a little too far ahead there_..._but I would like to hope maybe someday. I can say one thing for sure: my life is definitely going to be getting a **lot **more exciting_..._"

* * *

><p>It's a moderately warm mid-May afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. The sun is setting as many of the Forest's residents are home with their families. For one couple, in particular, it was a very special day...<p>

Ralph and Melissa Raccoon were in the kitchen, as Melissa was finishing up dinner and Ralph was setting the table. Today was May 12th, the thirteenth anniversary of a very special day for the both of them-the day they were married. Usually they would have something special planned for their anniversary (most commonly a trip of some kind), but today they were merely having a romantic candlelight dinner at home. As Melissa was about five and a half months pregnant, Ralph had felt it would be best if they stayed home for their anniversary.

Ralph was setting up the candles on the table. "Say, Melissa, it's a good thing Bert and Maxie got together, isn't it?"

Melissa was busy stirring the contents of a boiling pot with a cooking ladle. "I think so, Ralph. After all, she took today off from work so she and Bert could go out tonight-because she knew tonight was our anniversary and she knew we'd probably want him out of our fur!"

"Bert said she would be keeping him busy tonight..." Ralph noted.

"I'm sure of it. Bert said they went bowling just a few nights ago-and she bowled better than he did," Melissa chuckled.

"I thought he called himself 'Bert Raccoon: Ace Bowler'," Ralph had to laugh.

"He said she didn't do too badly for a beginner," Melissa replied.

"You know, Melissa, I'm all in favor for the two of them dating. Do you know why?" Ralph asked his wife.

"Why is that?" Melissa asked.

"Because it means he'll be out of the house more often. No offense; I don't _mind _him living here, and when he does leave, I'll probably really miss him being around, but he can't stay here _forever_. I mean, we have a child we're going to be raising together soon. It'll be hard having him around and raising a child at the same time. Besides, it's about time he found a nice girl to settle down with. Perhaps if he and Maxie grow close enough together, he'll move out of here to go live with her. I don't doubt she'd take him in," Ralph answered her.

"You're right there, Ralph. Besides, I have to admit they're cute together. They've both been lonely for years; I think it's sweet two lonely people decided to take a chance on each other. Don't you think so?"

"Well, I guess," Ralph shrugged. "Huh...I wonder if they'll get married someday..."

"Well, it's too early to tell if that'll happen," Melissa responded, "as they've only just started dating. Only time will tell what'll happen between them...But I would like to hope maybe they will someday."

"I just hope Bert'll treat her better than he treated his old girlfriends back in the day," Ralph worried. "I don't believe Bert's ever been in an actual serious committed relationship before. Back when we were in high school and in college, he was pretty much in it just for the...well, you know..."

"I remember," Melissa solemnly nodded. Bert had been a _really _wild raccoon in his youth. "But I think Bert has grown wiser as he has gotten older. Sure, he's still like a big kid, but I think he's learned it's not the right way to treat a woman if he wants to keep her. I think he'll treat Maxie with the love and respect she deserves."

"I _hope _he does," Ralph replied, though he had some doubts on that. "I would hate to hear that he took advantage of her..."

"I don't think he'll do that," Melissa smiled. "I think those days are behind him now. He really did love Lisa...and I think now that he's with Maxie, the lovebug's starting to bite him again..."

"I can tell, he's seemed more than a little giddy these past couple days," Ralph rolled his eyes. "Kind of reminds me of me when we first started dating..."

"You were pretty hyped up when we first started dating," Melissa giggled.

"Hey, I never had a girlfriend before I met you," Ralph laughed. "The odd date or so, but never a girlfriend."

"I think that might bode well for him...I have a feeling Bert and Maxie have a bright future ahead of them," Melissa smiled.

"Here's hoping. Let's hope Bert gets better at remembering things...I've often said he'd forget his head if it weren't attached to his body, and now that he has a girlfriend, she's going to be expecting him to remember certain dates...Honey, when's Maxie's birthday? I know she's the same age as you, but when exactly is her birthday?"

"Ah, she's a few months older than me. Her birthday is June 19th...so, next month," Melissa answered her husband,

"Well, Bert had _better_ remember her birthday. No doubt she's going to expect him to get her a gift for her birthday...and if he forgets, no doubt she'll probably chew him out. I know that from first-hand experience..." Ralph cringed remembering the times Melissa had hollered at him for forgetting their special dates.

"Don't worry about that, Ralph. I'm sure Maxie will drop a few subtle hints that'll clue him in," Melissa smiled.

"Bert's not good at picking up subtle things..." Ralph shook his head.

"Well...Then _I'll _remind him personally when her birthday gets a little closer to buy a gift for her," Melissa firmly replied. "He'll get the hint then!"

"Yeah," Ralph said as he lit the candle on the table, figuring that was probably enough they needed to discuss about their friends' developing relationship.

Melissa placed the food on the table as Ralph got up and dimmed the lights.

"Your favorite, honey..." Ralph smiled. "A candlelight dinner. You told me once you always thought these were very romantic..." he said in a bit of a wistful tone.

Melissa couldn't feel all that excited. "Yeah..." she lowly said. "I did..."

Ralph could sense something was wrong with his wife. "Honey...what's the matter? Today is the anniversary of the day we tied the knot thirteen years ago. This is supposed to be a day we remember one of the happiest moments in our lives. What's wrong?"

Melissa sighed. "Nothing, Ralph...it's fine..." She knew she was lying to him...

"Alright..." But Ralph couldn't help but grow more concerned when he noticed Melissa was hardly eating the food before her.

"Melissa, something _is _wrong. You're not eating your food...and you've been eating more often...you know, for the baby," Ralph said. "Please, tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Ralph..." Melissa sighed. She didn't really want to tell him she felt she was becoming more and more of a burden to him ever since she had gotten pregnant...plus she felt she was becoming less and less attractive the further along she was.

"Come on, Melissa...tell me. It'll make me feel less worried if you just tell me what's wrong..."

Melissa grew furious at her husband for trying to pry into her situation. "Dammit, Ralph! It's not your business!" she loudly hollered at him.

Ralph was surprised by Melissa suddenly snapping at him. "I'm...I'm really sorry, honey...I'm sorry...you're right. I shouldn't be prying into your problems like that..."

Melissa became upset seeing Ralph looking sad to be yelled at. "_And on our anniversary, too..._" This was another thing she disliked about being pregnant...the fact that she found herself yelling at her husband occasionally without any real good reason. She decided it was best to discuss the situation with her him. "No, Ralph...I should tell you what's wrong."

"Well...what's the matter?"

"Ralph..." Melissa sighed heavily. "Just...look at me!" Melissa said, pointing at her pregnant belly.

"Ah, our little miracle," Ralph fondly smiled. "I can't wait until he's here."

"Ralph...just look at me. I don't like looking like this at _all_!" Melissa sadly said. "Do you think I honestly _like _having a 'baby bump'?"

"Er...is that what they call it?" Ralph asked, confused.

"That's what tabloid magazines call this, yes...But, just look at me, Ralph! I weighed myself yesterday...and I've gained another pound. I've now gained thirteen pounds...and I'm only halfway through pregnancy. I've _still _got at least twenty more pounds to gain..." Melissa started to cry. "Do you know what _size_ this shirt is?"

"I probably could guess, but I'd rather not hurt your feelings," Ralph humbly said. He couldn't help but feel bad for his wife...he knew pregnancy would be a stressful experience for her, but not _this _stressful.

"It's a large, Ralph. A _large_! I've never been that big before...I feel like I'm fat! I'm even bigger than you are!" Melissa said as she started to sob.

"Honey, you're not fat..." Ralph said in a comforting voice as he reached across the table and gently grabbed her paw. "You have a good reason for being a little...erm...larger," he replied, trying to watch his words to avoid upsetting her more. "You're bearing my child."

"And look what it's doing to me..." Melissa continued to cry. "I know I said I would be willing to go through all the side-effects of pregnancy but...saying that isn't the same as actually experiencing them. I'm...I'm worried you're not going to find me attractive anymore..."

"Why would you think that?" Ralph couldn't understand why Melissa would think he would stop seeing the beauty in her. He had to admit, it was a bit harder to think of her in a passionate way ever since she started to get bigger...but he still deeply loved her.

"Maxie was right...this baby is wreaking _serious _havoc on my body. Do you remember what you've often told me when we made love? You'd often tell me I had such a beautiful body," Melissa remarked.

Ralph nodded. "Mmm-hmm, I remember," he cheekily grinned. Melissa may have not been every man's idea of beauty, but in Ralph's mind, she was perfect. "I've _always_ found you...sexy," he continued to grin.

"Well, those days are over, Ralph. I'm never going to be the same after this is all said and done. I'm afraid you won't find the new me attractive..." she sighed.

"Melissa, you're still beautiful even with a baby inside you," Ralph warmly smiled as he got up and sat next to her, placing an arm around her. "Your body might come out of this a little...different, but I'll learn to adjust. I love you no matter what shape you're in or what size you are. You'll always be special to me."

Melissa knew Ralph sincerely meant those words. "Thanks, Ralph...But, that's not all...I feel like I've become a burden to you since I got pregnant..." she sighed.

"Why would you think you're a burden?"

"Because...I'm becoming more and more helpless the further along I get, Ralph. Look at me: I can't lift anything really heavy, I can't get very much exercise, I have to eat constantly, I'm spending more and more time in the _Standard_'s office rather than out in the field..." A few more tears slid down Melissa's cheeks. "I think I'm wearing you out. I feel so bad about that..."

"Well, there's nothing you can really do about that," Ralph shrugged. He didn't know exactly what to tell her to make her feel better here. "It's a part of being pregnant from what I've seen...you need a little help along the way. It's a good thing you do have me; you'd be going through _hell_ without someone here to help you out. Trust me, Melissa...you're not a burden. I guess it's part of my promise to pay more attention to you I made around this time last year. I want to make sure this experience is as comfortable as possible for you."

"Oh, Ralph..." Melissa was touched by her husband's devotion to her. "Ralph...I don't know why I'm doubting myself like this...I guess between my father dying and all this...I'm just feeling really...well...stressed."

"I understand. This isn't exactly an easy experience at all. It hasn't been easy on me either...I've been losing sleep having to fetch you peanut butter in the middle of the night; I know you've seen me having trouble keeping my eyes open at work sometimes," Ralph replied. "Plus I've had to endure being yelled at for no good reason from time to time...and you know how much I don't like that. But hey, at least we're going through this experience together."

"That's right, Ralph," Melissa managed to smile. "I'm happier going through this with you than I would be alone...imagine if I were in Maxie's place. Her boyfriend dumped her all those years ago after she told him she was carrying his child..."

"I know you told me about that; maybe she was better off without him. A low-life like that shouldn't get to raise children, if you ask me," Ralph scowled. He _hated_ people like that. "But I would never leave you like that.I want our child to have something you never got to have: the opportunity to know both his parents growing up."

"Ralph...it's times like these I feel like one of the luckiest women on Earth," Melissa smiled as she hugged her husband. "Happy anniversary, Ralph."

"Happy anniversary, Melissa," Ralph smiled as he embraced her as well. "Hey, think on the bright side. Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Tomorrow?" Melissa couldn't remember off-hand. "I don't know, Ralph."

"Well, tomorrow, we're going back to Evergreen Forest for another ultrasound. Hopefully," Ralph broadly beamed, "we're going to find out what gender that little wonder is."

"Oh, I remember now, Ralph. I can't wait to find out what gender our little miracle is," she smiled, placing a paw on her belly.

"It's a boy," Ralph smiled. "I know in my heart it is. I _really_ want a boy," Ralph beamed.

"You don't know, Ralph...we'll find out tomorrow."

"Yeah...we'll find out tomorrow..."

* * *

><p>Another day has passed in the Evergreen Forest. It's an early mid-May afternoon, and many of the Forest's residents are out and about, enjoying their day. For one happily married couple, however, today has been a day of anticipation...<p>

Ralph and Melissa Raccoon were in the waiting room of Evergreen Hospital. Ralph had his arm around Melissa. "Today's a big day, honey. We're going find out what our baby actually is today. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am, sweetie," Melissa smiled. "I've already seen our child once and it was touching enough then...I can't wait to see it again."

"Me neither," Ralph agreed with his wife.

"I'm just not looking forward to the feeling of the scanner touching my bare tummy..." Melissa admitted. "You know what's funny, Ralph? I used to tease you for not wanting to go to the doctor for appointments."

"You always have," Ralph responded, "I'm come to expect it."

"Yeah, but well...I'm starting to understand that feeling. I don't like visiting the doctor _this _much...I'll be glad when the baby's here so we don't have to come here so often anymore."

"I agree. The less time I have to spend in a hospital, the better," Ralph chuckled.

"So, Ralph," Melissa changed the subject, "I know you're hoping it's a boy."

"Oh, I am, I am, honey," Ralph smiled. "I think a boy will be easier for me to raise in the long run. Plus I'll have someone I can easily relate to. I just _really _want a boy."

"I'm hoping it's a boy, too," Melissa smiled. "But I already told you I have a hunch it's a girl. We'll find out really soon, won't we?"

"Yeah..." Ralph replied. "If only they'd hurry the hell up already..." he scowled. Ralph _hated _having to wait so long for their appointment.

"Just be patient, Ralph...I'm sure they'll call us soon enough," Melissa smiled.

"Hurry up..." Ralph said as he tapped his fingers on the chair impatiently.

At last, one of the nurses, Nurse Robertson, walked into the waiting room. "Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon?"

"That's us!" Melissa smiled.

"We're ready for you two," the nurse smiled.

"Alright, here we go, Ralph..." Melissa said. "This is it. Soon we'll know just what our child is..."

"I know it," Ralph said as the couple got up and followed Nurse Robertson to the ultrasound room.

Soon, Melissa was lying on top of a hospital table, wearing a blue hospital gown. She was feeling nervous. What would their baby be? A boy? Or a girl? "_I don't know for sure..._" she thought to herself. "_But no matter what, I'll love my baby. It might be the only one I ever get to have._"

Ralph was gripping her paw tightly. "This is it, Melissa..." Ralph couldn't help but sweat out of nervousness.

"You're sweating there, Ralph..." Melissa noticed.

"Yeah...I can't help it, I'm nervous..."

"Mrs. Raccoon, could you pull up your gown for me, please?" Nurse Robertson asked Melissa.

"Okay..." Melissa obliged as she pulled up her gown enough to expose her pregnant stomach. Nurse Robertson grabbed a tube from a table and squirted some gel onto her belly. It felt a little...cold to her. But she had already had this experience once before. "I'm feeling deja vu here..."

"This'll be a little cold, Mrs. Raccoon, just to let you know," Nurse Robertson said as she reached for the scanner.

"I already know what to expect..." Melissa muttered as the nurse pressed the scanner against her bare stomach. She already knew what to expect...but it _still_ made her jump, regardless.

"Dammit!" Melissa said, recoiling a bit from the cold sensation. "I don't like this..."

"Honey, it's okay. It's okay...we've been through this already," Ralph smiled as he gripped her paw tighter. "I might buy you ice cream when we get out of here...think of that..." he said, trying to keep her calm.

"Ooh, ice cream sounds nice..." Melissa thought aloud.

Ralph and Melissa were glancing at the monitor, waiting for their baby to appear. They wouldn't have to wait long for it to show up...

"See it, Ralph?" Melissa smiled. "There's our little miracle on the monitor!"

Ralph smiled seeing his child again. "It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I see it's bigger than last time, too...quite a bit bigger," he grinned at her. "Hey, it's moving!" Ralph was right...their child was clearly moving around on the monitor. It hadn't done that during Melissa's first ultrasound.

"Aww..." Melissa smiled. "I can't believe that precious little thing's growing inside of me."

"It's pretty amazing we created that together, isn't it, honey?"

"It is," Melissa proudly grinned.

"Heheh," Dr. Hensley, who also happened to be in the ultrasound room, chuckled as he was gnawing on his pencil's eraser, as he usually did. "I do believe you're far enough along to the point where we can tell what gender your baby is."

Ralph and Melissa could not help but grin at each other. This was it. In a moment, they were about to be told what gender their first child was. They couldn't tell for themselves from the images they were seeing, but they were eager to find out.

Ralph crossed his fingers on his other paw. "C'mon..." Ralph whispered to himself. "Please be a boy...please be a boy...please be a boy..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon, congratulations. Your baby...is a girl," Dr. Hensley informed them.

"Wow, a girl! What do you know...I was right, Ralph! We are having a girl just like I thought we would be," she smiled at him.

Ralph did not seem to be sharing her enthusiasm. "A girl...Doc, are you sure?"

"Well, I'm pretty positive, Mr. Raccoon," Dr. Hensley replied. "I know what to look for, and from what I see here, all signs are pointing to this being a girl. I may not be correct, but I feel pretty positive this baby is a girl."

Ralph's ears drooped a bit. He had been _really _hoping for a boy, so it was at least a little disappointing to find out they would not be having one. "Aww...I _really _wanted a boy..." he said in a rather lowered tone of voice.

"I know, Ralph...but don't feel upset. It's still your child...no matter what gender it is!" Melissa was trying to make Ralph feel a little better. She had wanted a boy herself, but a little girl was good enough for her, too.

"I just don't know if I'm prepared to raise a girl...I mean, I'm sure she won't be much trouble bringing up...what worries me about having a daughter is when she becomes a teenager. It means I'll have to start worrying about her seeing..._boys_..." Ralph cringed imagining his future daughter being hit on by teenaged boys interested in only one thing... "Melissa, the funny thing is...I think I can understand how your father felt about you dating," he chuckled.

"Mr. Raccoon, it's not so bad raising daughters. Both of my children are girls. Do you know what I told them when it comes to dating?" Dr. Hensley chimed in on the situation.

"What did your tell your girls?" Ralph wondered.

"I told them they can't date until they're in college and out of my house," Dr. Hensley grinned. "I think it gave them the idea on how I felt about _that_," the rooster laughed.

"And how old are they...?" Melissa wondered.

"My oldest one is nine and my youngest one is five," Dr. Hensley replied.

"Yikes..." Ralph said. "_Somebody _really loves his daughters..." Ralph didn't know if he wanted to be _that _strict. "_Sure...I may have wanted a boy, but Melissa is right...even though it's a girl, she's still my daughter._"

"You know, Melissa," Ralph cracked a smile, "maybe it won't be so bad having a daughter. The boys will be years away...we'll worry about them when she's old enough, I guess."

"Of course," Melissa smiled. "Oh, Ralph, I can't believe it. We're going to have a little girl," she happily smiled.

"Yeah," Ralph said as he leaned down to give his wife a kiss, "I know." He quickly pointed to the monitor. "That's our daughter."

Later, Ralph and Melissa were heading home from the hospital arm-in-arm.

"Well, Melissa, we know what the little guy is now," Ralph said. "I can't call her the 'little guy' now, can I?"

"Well, you know, Ralph..." Melissa said, "Dr. Hensley said he wasn't 100% positive. It may not have been completely accurate-there's a chance we could still be having a baby boy," Melissa admitted. She knew ultrasounds could be wrong _occasionally_...

"I think Dr. Hensley knew what he was talking about," Ralph shook his head. "I may not like the doctors, but they're usually spot-on. If he says it's a girl, then, it's a girl, I believe. What do I have to call her now?"

Melissa shrugged. She knew it was possible Dr. Hensley was wrong, but he most likely was correct. "You can still call her the little guy if you want, Ralph..."

"But it's a girl. I don't think it would be right to call her that," Ralph disagreed with her.

"Hmm..." Melissa was trying to think of something, but it wasn't coming to her.

"Now that we know the gender of our baby, honey...do you think we should give her a name? I know you've been thumbing through that book of baby names looking for the perfect one," Ralph said.

Melissa wasn't sure it was the best idea to give their child a name right at the moment seeing as she couldn't be 100% positive that Dr. Hensley was correct, but since Ralph was insistent, she figured it couldn't hurt. "You know, Ralph, I actually did think of a good name for a girl if we had one."

"You did, huh? What do you think we should call her?"

"I think we should call her...Victoria. After my father's mother. She died when my father was eleven, so I never got to know her. But I think it's a pretty name for a girl. It sounds dignified, but not _too_ dignified," Melissa replied to her husband's question.

"Victoria Raccoon..." Ralph had to admit, to him it _did _sound like a cute name. It was probably the first name she had come with that actually _did _sound like it fit. "You know what, honey? I think that is a good name. Let's call our daughter Victoria," he smiled at his wife.

"'Victoria Raccoon' it is, then," Melissa smiled. She then felt that oddly familiar sensation of butterflies fluttering inside her again...it had grown stronger and stronger over the past week or so. "Speak of the devil...I think she's kicking right now!"

"Hey, I think she's trying to say she likes her name," Ralph laughed as he knelt before his wife's bulging stomach. He had a habit of talking to her unborn baby; it made Ralph feel as if he was already bonding with his future child. "Hi there, Victoria," Ralph smiled as he spoke to Melissa's tummy. "Do you like your name? We picked it out just for you! I can't wait until you're here in about four more months, Victoria! It's really going to be something getting to hold you for the first time." Ralph softly kissed Melissa's bump. "Daddy loves you!" It felt even more personal to Ralph now that their unborn daughter had a name...he felt as if he was _really_ talking to her. And Melissa had to admit, as silly as it was, she thought it was cute seeing her husband trying to bond with their yet-to-be-born baby.

"Should we tell anyone else what gender she is, Ralph?" Melissa asked her husband, wondering if they should reveal it to their friends.

"I suppose we should," Ralph nodded. "It would be hard to keep it a secret. Perhaps we should keep her name a secret between ourselves, though..."

"Sounds fine, Ralph. Besides, one of our friends is sure to throw us a baby shower sooner enough. It'll help if they know the gender of our child beforehand," Melissa agreed.

"Yeah," Ralph said as they headed back home. "You remember back in the hospital, I said I might get you some ice cream when we were done?"

"I remember," Melissa nodded.

"Well, how about we get some?" Ralph smiled at his wife.

"I think that would be very nice," Melissa smiled as the happy couple headed for the local ice cream parlor. They were happy to know they were having a little girl, one whom they had just given a name to: Victoria.

But perhaps they were being a little _too _hasty in giving their child a name before it was born...

**END CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And that's Chapter 13, folks. A mostly happy chapter. We're only two chapters away from the end of this story as we are getting closer to the birth of Ralph and Melissa's child. Few notes...

Yes, I actually decided to have Bert and Maxie get together. I know it might disappoint some people to see Bert not end up with Lisa, but from the way their relationship went on the show, it really could have gone either way for them. Perhaps they would have ended up together (in spite of what a few people have said, it was never said that they were dating in the last season of the show-they seemed to be just friends to me); perhaps not. But at the very least he and Lisa will still be friends, no matter what. Plus, she helped him get a girlfriend, which was rather nice of her. Bert and Maxie are certainly worlds apart in personality, but there will be mutual benefits as a result of them dating each other: Maxie has a touch of excitement to her life she's been desperately seeking, and with a new boyfriend and medication, her outlook on life can only continue to improve, and as for Bert? Well, he has someone who can reign him in when he's being a little TOO goofy...she can keep Bert out of trouble. Or get into trouble with him...who knows. You'll see more of their relationship in the next story I write...

Bert wanting to go to Antarctica to see penguins...I think that sounds like typical Bert to me. Bert is always adventurous, so I think the idea of visiting an untamed and largely unseen area of the world would be interesting to him. That said, I don't think Bert would be quite bold enough to actually venture onto the continent itself...so he would probably just want to fly over it. In real life, they actually do have Antarctic sight seeing flights; they've been around since the mid-1970s. Australia's Qantas airline has a few every year. Air New Zealand also used to have Antarctic flights, but they stopped having those after one such flight crashed head first into an Antarctic volcano in 1979, killing all 257 aboard in one of the worst plane crashes in history. (No doubt reading about something like this would contribute to Ralph's fear of flight...) As for whether I would want to visit Antarctica? It'd probably be very interesting to see, but the only problem is that it would be rather expensive (then again, what trip isn't...)

And of course Bert believes in the Bermuda Triangle stories...Well, there's no denying they _happened_, but it's really up to you to decide whether supernatural goings-on are to blame. Really, I personally believe that all the disappearances there likely have a logical explanation to them, but whatever you believe in, well, who am I to spoil your fun? Bert believes in ghosts, UFOs, the Grimm...so it seems pretty logical to me he would probably believe the Bermuda Triangle has an alternate dimension located somewhere within it (which is an actual theory some people have...).

And it seems Ralph and Melissa are going to being having a baby girl, who they've already decided to name Victoria. (Special nod to a reader of mine...you know who you are ;)) But it does seem a bit hasty for them to name their child before it's even born...doesn't it? We'll see what happens in the last chapter...just you wait and see. I'm not going to spoil it...

Next chapter, our penultimate chapter, Melissa finds herself in a sticky situation that poses a threat to her baby, George and Nicole throw a baby shower for Ralph and Melissa, Bert tries to work on his failing novel again with his new girlfriend Maxie's help, and Ralph has an absolutely horrible nightmare as the birth of his and Melissa's child is rapidly approaching...


	14. Chapter 14: The Final Stretch

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, we're only a couple chapters away from the conclusion of this story...as a matter of fact, this is the penultimate chapter of the entire story. Melissa's desire to have a child of her own has come true as after months of trying, she finally managed to get pregnant, but along the way, she's discovered that the pregnancy experience was MUCH more difficult than she imagined. Last chapter, she openly told Ralph she feared he might not find her attractive anymore as she realized her body would not be in the same shape as before after she gave birth. But Ralph reassured her that no matter what shape or size she ended up in, she would still always be the same woman who captured his heart so many years before. They also discovered that their baby is evidently a girl, who they decided to name Victoria. Meanwhile, Bert found a new girlfriend in the form of Maxie Ringtail, as the two realized despite their differences in personality they were not so different from each other after all. In this chapter, we'll see Melissa in the last few months of her pregnancy as she and Ralph are preparing for the birth of their first child. You'll see Melissa getting herself into a very "sticky" situation in Endless Echo Caverns and Ralph panicking that their baby may be hurt, Ralph and Melissa's baby shower and the gifts their friends give them, and Ralph has a horrible nightmare in which everything goes wrong and he and Melissa feel anxious about the impending arrival of their baby.

Let's take a dive head-first into...

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Final Stretch**

It's a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Evergreen Forest, in mid-June. Summer has arrived and the temperatures are climbing their way up the charts. It's a perfect day to spend outdoors. Many of the Forest's residents who have the day off are enjoying their Sunday, including one pair of female raccoons...

Melissa Raccoon was taking a walk through the Forest on this particular lovely afternoon. Since she had gotten pregnant nearly seven months ago, she had found her opportunities to get out and about becoming fewer and fewer as it was a little harder to get around, so she appreciated any chance of exercise that she got. Today, she was accompanied by her friend Maxie Ringtail. Melissa had thought her husband needed a rest every now and then from having to take care of her, so she decided to let him have a day to himself. Ralph was over at Evergreen Lake fishing with Bert. "_I won__der what my Ralphie is up to with Bert..._" Melissa thought to herself.

As the two raccoons walked along through the woodlands, they presently struck up a conversation with each other. "So Maxie," Melissa began, "I was surprised you decided to go for a walk with me today. You're usually house-bound most of the time!"

"Well, it's better than sitting around doing nothing all day," Maxie smiled at her friend. "And _much _better than cooking or cleaning the whole day through!"

"You've really started to change, Maxie," Melissa replied, "a few months ago, you wouldn't leave your house for much of anything. Looks like that psychiatrist has been helping you out quite a bit, huh?"

"Oh yes," Maxie emphatically remarked. "That medication is working wonders for me; I don't hate myself anymore!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Melissa nodded. "You see, you're not so bad after all!"

"I know," Maxie grinned. "I don't think I've felt this at ease with myself since I was a teenager."

"How does it feel dating the goofiest man in the Forest?" Melissa smiled as she nudged her friend.

"How does it feel, huh? It feels...well, I couldn't really put it into words. It feels...great," Maxie fondly smiled. "I never thought he would like me, but I think he's really starting to grow to like me. He's shown me how to have fun again; I haven't had this much fun in ages! I must admit, I actually feel...younger," she could not help but grin.

"I know you two have been going out a lot lately; bowling, fishing, swimming, hiking...I see he's definitely getting you out more often!"

"Oh, I know," Maxie responded. "I still may not be much of a 'people person', but I feel a lot more comfortable going out in public with him."

"It's nice seeing you come out of your shell, Maxie," Melissa smiled. 'No need to be so shy and kept to yourself."

"You're right," Maxie smiled. "So, how's the pregnancy experience been for you, Mel? Has it been has rough as I told you it would be?" she winked at her friend.

"Well, it's been...an _adventure_, to say the least," Melissa had to admit as she quickly placed a paw on her now rather large tummy. "You were definitely right when you said I'd gain a newfound appreciation for a football; the little one's been constantly kicking me for the past few months. It's been pretty uncomfortable, to say the least!"

"I _told _you it wouldn't be fun, Mel," Maxie knowingly nodded at her close friend. "I remember how excited you were when you first announced to us that you were having a baby. Not so excited _now_, are we?"

"As uncomfortable as it's been, I'm still excited that I'm going to have a baby," Melissa managed to crack a smile. "It's mine and Ralph's very own child. No one can take it away from us. I'm happy we're finally going to be parents in just a couple more months."

"It is definitely worth the wait," Maxie nodded in reply. "How's Ralph taking it?"

"He's been taking it _very _well. Matter of fact, I think he might be even more excited about becoming a parent than I am! He's always talking to my belly," Melissa chuckled.

"I had a feeling Ralph would be a big help to you," Maxie replied. "You're having a much better experience than I did when I was pregnant for sure..."

"Well, I know, but I still can't help but feel bad for making Ralph work so hard to help me out. That's why I let him have a day to himself today. He does need a few of those every now and then!" Melissa laughed.

"I'm sure he appreciates it. I heard from Bert you two were having a girl?" Maxie asked.

"That's what the ultrasound said we would be having, yes," Melissa smiled. "We wanted a little boy personally, but I'm just as happy having a girl. It's still my baby."

"Bert also told me you gave your daughter a name already, but you wouldn't tell him what you decided to name it," Maxie responded. "Tell me, Mel. What'd you name your child? You can count on me not to tell anyone else..."

"That's a secret between me and Ralph," Melissa quickly replied. "You'll find out when she's born. We want to keep it a secret until then."

"I understand," Maxie nodded. She took notice of some caverns off to their left. "Hey, is that the Endless Echo Caverns over there?"

"Why, yes, it is," Melissa replied to her friend's question. "I've been there a few times before...I remember when Bert and me discovered some of Henri de la Possum's paintings in there," she remarked as she remembered some of her past adventures. "That was...wow, that was almost a decade ago! Time really has been flying by in the Forest..."

"Bert told me about that not too long ago," Maxie responded. "I heard you two actually met him?"

"We sure did," Melissa nodded. "He disappeared from the public limelight for years to paint the walls in secret."

"Huh, that must have been interesting," Maxie remarked.

"It was. Say, I think the paintings are still there. Maybe we could check those out?"

"I guess it would be alright..." Maxie shrugged. She hadn't been in the Caverns before, so this would be something new for her.

With that, the two friends entered the caverns together. It was a little dark, but with the mid-day sun it was bright enough to see throughout most of the cave.

Presently the two came to a hole in the cave's wall. "This leads to a deeper part of the cave," Melissa informed her friend. "If we go through here, we'll get to the paintings soon enough."

Maxie looked at Melissa, then glanced at the hole. It didn't look it was big enough to accommodate her friend's pregnant body. "Are you sure, Mel? I mean with your belly and all...I don't know if you'll be able to fit through there."

Melissa, on the other hand, was fairly certain she could fit through the hole. "I used to be able to fit through there no problem. I maybe a little...larger, but I think I can fit through there." Melissa promptly stooped down as she prepared to enter the hole. "Just follow me, Maxie."

"Okay..." Maxie said, still feeling unsure whether this was a good idea.

Melissa slowly began to climb through the hole, only to find...

...that she was wrong. It wasn't big enough to accommodate her belly. Melissa quickly found herself stuck.

"Mel, are you...?" Maxie worried. All she could see was her friend's backside sticking out from the hole, her tail waggling.

"Maxie...I...I'm stuck!" Melissa shouted, her voice echoing. She felt _quite_ embarrassed. "I thought I could fit through this hole...I guess I was wrong..."

"I see that," Maxie said in a concerned voice. She knew her friend was in a bit of a serious situation here; she couldn't stay stuck for long. The longer she stayed trapped in the hole, the more likely it was that Melissa's baby could be hurt. Seeing how much Melissa had wanted a child prior to getting pregnant, Maxie didn't want anything like that to happen to her friend.

"Can you help me...?" Melissa lowly said, still feeling pretty embarrassed.

"I can try," Maxie said as she grabbed Melissa's feet and tried to pull her out of the hole.

Melissa felt a pain going through her as her friend tried to pull her out. "OWWW! Stop it, Maxie! You're hurting me!"

"Sorry..." Maxie said. "I don't think I'm going to be able to get you out of there on my own. I should go get help, shouldn't I?"

"I think that would be a good idea..." Melissa replied, feeling depressed.

"Don't worry, Mel. I'll go get help. You'll be out of here soon. I'll be right back!" With that, Maxie turned around and dashed out of the cave. "_Maybe Bert and Ralph can help her out...the_y_'re over at Evergreen Lake..._"

Melissa sighed as she awaited rescue from her predicament. "Why did I think I could fit through this hole...I feel so stupid..." she sighed. She swore she could hear a small voice speaking to her in the back of her mind: "_Mommy, please don't let me get __hurt. I want to be born and see the world..._"

"Don't worry, Victoria," Melissa spoke to her trapped belly. "We'll be out of here soon, I hope..."

Time passed and Melissa began to wonder if she was ever going to be freed from the Caverns. "Maxie, please come back soon...I don't want to stay here much longer..." Melissa sighed.

Presently, much to her relief, she heard voices coming from behind her. Help had arrived. She knew she would soon be out of this dreadfully embarrassing and somewhat frightening predicament.

"Hey, hey!" Melissa called out to the voices as she frantically kicked her feet about. "I'm right here!"

"Melissa! Melissa! Are you alright?" It was a very familiar voice...the voice of her husband. Knowing he was here to help comforted her.

"Ralph! Boy, am I glad to know you're here! Help me!" Melissa shouted to him.

"Boy, Melissa, you really got yourself in a jam there, didn't you?" another familiar voice chuckled. Melissa recognized it as the voice of Bert. Evidently, he found some amusement in her stressful situation.

Ralph slapped Bert. "Bert, this isn't funny! My wife is stuck in that hole! My baby might be hurt..." Ralph couldn't help but panic. It was a pretty frightening sight seeing his beloved wife's rear end sticking out of a small hole in the cave wall, her feet pawing at the air as she was trying to free herself. Ralph was afraid his wife might have hurt herself, and he was even more terrified that their unborn child could be injured from the pressure of being trapped in such a small space. "_I can't let anything hap__pen to them...they mean the world to me..._"

Maxie scowled at Bert. "Bert, you know better than to laugh at other's misfortunes, don't you?"

Bert felt bad to be reprimanded by his girlfriend. "Sorry, Max..." Bert sheepishly replied. "This is just a bit of an odd dilemma here."

"Melissa," Ralph asked his trapped wife, "how did you get stuck in here? I know Maxie told us you two were exploring the caves and you got stuck, but how the hell did you get trapped?"

Melissa felt ashamed. "I wanted to show Maxie Henri de la Possum's cave paintings. I tried to climb through this hole because I thought it was big enough for me to fit through. Turned out it wasn't..." Melissa sighed heavily. She felt dreadfully embarrassed for her husband to see her like this, in such a helpless state. "You must be mad at me..."

Ralph knew Melissa had not made a very smart decision, but he couldn't bring himself to be mad at her for what she had done. All he wanted to do was get her out of there safely and hopefully she and their baby would be okay. "I'm not bad, honey," Ralph said in a more comforting voice. "I just want to help you get out of here. Bert, come here."

"What do you want me to do, Ralphie boy?" Bert asked his old friend.

"Grab her other leg, Bert. Let's see if we can pull her out," Ralph replied as he grabbed one of his wife's legs.

"Well, alright," Bert obliged as he grabbed Melissa's other leg. Maxie shook her head. She knew they wouldn't be able to extricate Melissa that way.

"Okay, Bert, pull!" The duo tugged on Melissa's legs, hoping she could slip free.

Instead it brought pain to Melissa. She was wedged in the hole awfully tight and it felt painful to be pulled like that. "Ralph, stop, stop!" Melissa said.

"What's wrong?" Ralph was worried. "Are we hurting you?"

"A little..." Melissa admitted.

"I'm sorry, Melissa, I'm very sorry..." Ralph apologized.

"Well, we're not gonna get her out that way," Bert said. "She's jammed in there really tight. Now, what are we gonna do to get her out of there?"

"Beats me," Ralph shrugged. He didn't know what to do. "_If we can't just pull her out, what are we __going to do? I don't want to hurt her..._"

Maxie was thinking. "There's got to be something we can do to get her out of there...hmmm..." Maxie thought as she placed a finger on her chin. "Hey, I know! If we had something a little slippery, maybe we could get Mel out of there."

"Hmm...sounds like a good idea to me," Ralph replied. He wondered why he hadn't thought of that himself, but then again he was panicking right now. He wasn't thinking very clearly. "But what are we going to use? I don't think we have anything on us we could use..."

"I know what we could use," Maxie smiled as she looked towards her goofy boyfriend. "Bert, you have some peanut butter on you, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Bert nodded as he produced a jar out of seemingly nowhere. "I never leave home without it!"

"I think it may help us here..."

Bert was appalled at what Maxie was suggesting. "Max, we are _not _gonna use my peanut butter to get Melissa outta there! Uh-uh! No way! Besides, this is my last jar of peanut butter!" Bert just didn't understand. First she had to develop cravings for peanut butter, now he needed to use his peanut butter to help get her out of a jam? "_This...this is just too much..._"

"Bert," Maxie sweetly looked at him, "do you want to free Melissa or not?"

"I do," Bert nodded as he continued to look more than a little uncomfortable with the idea. "But it's my last jar of peanut butter..."

"I can buy you more peanut butter," Ralph told him. "But I can't buy another Melissa. We have to help her, Bert."

Bert threw up his paws in defeat. "Oh, alright! Here, here, take my peanut butter, Ralphie boy," he grumbled as he handed Ralph the jar of peanut butter.

Ralph took some of the peanut butter and smeared it around his wife's bulging abdomen. Melissa found her husband's touch more than a little ticklish. "Haha, that tickles..."

"Don't worry, honey," Ralph said to Melissa. "We'll have you out of here in just a minute..." Ralph then grabbed Melissa's leg and turned to Bert. "Take her other leg, Bert."

"Alright," Bert said as he grabbed Melissa's other leg.

Ralph spoke to Melissa as calmly as he could, though he was still a little panicky. "Melissa, I know this is probably going to hurt a little bit, but just bear with it, honey. If you do, I think we'll have you out in just a moment."

"Okay..." Melissa said as Ralph and Bert tugged on her legs, trying to free her from the hole. It did feel a little painful, but Melissa did as her husband said. Soon, Melissa finally managed to slip free...

...and toppled backwards, landing right on top of her startled husband.

"Whew!" Melissa said, rubbing her belly a bit. "I'm glad to be out of there! Thanks for rescuing me, Ralph."

"Don't mention it..." Ralph said in a forced tone. Melissa had _definitely_ started putting on the pounds lately; she had gained twenty-one pounds so far during the course of her pregnancy. Ralph found her quite...heavy. "You can get off of me, honey..."

"Sorry, sorry, Ralph," Melissa blushed as she got off her husband. Ralph dusted himself off and sat up as Melissa gave him a kiss. "I'll say it again: thanks for helping rescue me, sweetie."

"No problem, Melissa," Ralph smiled. But he still was worried about her and their baby. "Are you alright? I just want to make sure..."

"My belly does feel a little sore..." Melissa admitted.

Ralph immediately began to panic. "Oh no, our baby..." he said, feeling terribly worried, "she might be hurt. I...I...don't know what to do...she can't be hurt. She can't!"

Melissa slapped Ralph to get him to come to his senses. "Calm down, Ralph! I think the baby's going to be just fine. Matter of fact...I can feel her kicking right now," she smiled. Melissa _did_ have to admit, it was relieving knowing their baby was evidently A-okay.

"That's...that's a relief," Ralph said.

"Good to know the little one's okay there, Melissa," Bert said. "That'd be pretty rough if you lost the baby."

"It would be pretty heartbreaking, wouldn't it?" Maxie asked.

"Yeah..." Melissa sighed. "Ralph...I'm _such _an _idiot_. I thought I could fit through that hole and I couldn't. I didn't even think at all. I'm so sorry for being stupid...maybe I _shouldn't_ try to give you days all to yourself. Not if something like this is going to happen..."

"Aw, honey, we all make mistakes," Ralph said as he and Melissa got to their feet, Ralph putting an arm around her for support. "It's okay. You just need to be a little more careful, alright?"

"Okay," Melissa smiled. "Let's go home, Ralph. It's almost dark now."

"Alright, we'll go home," Ralph smiled as the quartet exited the cave. Ralph and Melissa had dodged a bullet today...their baby had emerged out of this situation okay. It wouldn't be much longer before their daughter would be born...

* * *

><p>It's a July evening in the Evergreen Forest. Most of the Forest's residents are home with their families and loved ones. Some are out enjoying the night life, while others are merely enjoying some quiet time...<p>

Melissa Raccoon was sitting on the Raccoondominium's couch. Ralph was in the kitchen, fetching her a snack since she was feeling a little hungry. Bert, on the other hand, was evidently out on a date with Maxie. Melissa was thinking about her pregnancy thus far. It had been an up-and-down experience for her, for sure. "_I've had more downs than ups, probably,_" she had to admit. She had found herself slowly losing her independence. She had found herself depending on her husband more and more. Even if she didn't like that, at least Ralph had never complained. She found herself uncomfortable gaining so much weight, but she was hoping that she could drop the weight pretty quickly after Victoria was born. "_Maybe I could turn out a little slimmer than before...I wouldn't mind looking a little...sexier for Ralph. I think he might like that..._" she thought to herself. Melissa could not help but cheekily smile imagining herself being fairly slim and her husband eying her body as his jaw dropped in awe. "_Oh, who am I kidding. I'm never going to look like that...besides, I'm sure to come out of this with stretch marks..._"

But if nothing else, Melissa was still excited about the impending birth of their child. It was getting closer and closer...it would surely be just a couple months away. "_Maybe even less,_" she thought. She knew childbirth would be a painful experience, but it would be worth it to finally be a mother. "_It's a dream come true for me_," she fondly smiled. "_I'm ready to be a Mom._"

As Ralph entered the living room, Melissa couldn't help but groan. She'd been having back pains occasionally over the past few months. Her abdomen's growth had put a lot of pressure on her spine and it was currently bothering her.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Ralph asked her as he set the jar of peanut butter down, feeling concerned for her.

"Ralph...my back hurts," she said as her face winced a bit. "It _really_ hurts, dear..."

Ralph felt sure he knew how to help Melissa out, though. "Say, honey," Ralph smiled at her, "would you like it if I gave you a little massage? Maybe that might help out a little bit."

To Melissa, it sounded like a wonderful idea. "Ralph, a nice massage would be lovely," she smiled as she took off her shirt, leaving her in nothing but her pink bra.

Ralph was surprised by what his wife had done, but quickly smiled. He sat next to Melissa and gently massaged her back, starting out near her lower back. Melissa found it very soothing and relaxing. "Ohhhh, Ralph," she purred as Ralph massaged her, "that feels wonderful..."

"I've gotten pretty good at these, haven't I?" Ralph slyly grinned as he slowly moved up towards her shoulders.

"You certainly have," Melissa smiled as well. "Mmm...it's like you've got magic fingers, dear..."

"Magic fingers, huh? I like that," Ralph continued to grin as he reached her upper back.

Melissa's little massage was soon interrupted, however, by the ringing of the telephone. "Aww...I was _really _enjoying that..." Melissa sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll do that anytime you want me to," Ralph winked at her as he got up.

"Sure thing, my little magic man," Melissa giggled as Ralph answered the phone.

"_Evergreen Standard_, Ralph speak-uh, I mean, this is Ralph Raccoon. May I please ask who is calling?" Ralph had a pretty bad habit of answering the phone as if he was still at his job.

"Ah, hello, Ralph," a familiar voice answered him. "It's me, George."

"George? It's great to hear from you, big brother. So, how have you been lately?" Ralph did enjoy talking to his brother periodically, as different as they were.

"Nicole and I were just wondering if you and Melissa could come over to our place tonight. We've, uh...we've got a little surprise for you two. I think you know what it is..."

"Of course I do." George had already told Ralph that Nicole was planning to throw a baby shower for Melissa, and he had a feeling that most likely was the surprise. "We'll be right over."

"Alright, we'll see you two in a bit," George said as he hung up the phone.

Ralph turned back towards Melissa. "That was George, honey. Seems he and Nicole have a little surprise for us and they want us to come over to their place right now."

Melissa sighed. "Now...?"

Ralph nodded. "I think we should get there as soon as we possibly can..."

Melissa was a bit curious. "Did they say what kind of surprise it was?" she asked as she quickly put her shirt back on.

Ralph shook his head. He already knew (or at least felt he had a good idea) what it was, but didn't want to spoil the surprise for his wife. "I think it's a good idea to find out, don't you think?"

Melissa sighed as she got up from the couch. "Well, alright, Ralph..." Melissa said as she and Ralph headed out the front door.

Presently, the raccoon couple managed to reach George and Nicole's house, as it wasn't much of a walk to get there.

"I wonder what the surprise is? Will it be something I like?" Melissa wondered. "It must be important for George to call you over here..."

"I'm sure, honey," Ralph replied.

"How odd, their lights are out," Melissa remarked. It seemed a bit strange to her.

"Let's go in," Ralph said as he opened the door. Melissa quickly flicked on the light switch...

...and there before them, were all their friends, standing amidst balloons and streamers. Bert and Maxie were holding up a large banner that said "Congratulations, Ralph and Melissa!" A huge cake was sitting on the coffee table and there were lots and lots of presents.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted.

"Oh my..." Melissa was definitely surprised. "What's all this for?"

"Melizza," Nicole said as she stepped forward, "we would all like to congratulate you and Ralph on your firzt child. I know you two had zome difficultiez in trying, but we are all glad you two are finally going to be parentz. Zho," she continued, "thez iz your baby zhower!"

"My baby shower?" Melissa felt quite delighted her close friend had gone to so much effort just for her. "Why, Nicole...I'm touched! You didn't have to go through all this for me!"

"Well, we felt it would be best," George replied. "This is our future niece. We thought it would be a good way to honor you two and celebrate the little one's impending arrival."

Ralph feigned surprise. "Well, this is quite thoughtful of you all," he smiled. "You're the best friends we could ever ask for."

"We do our best!" Bert laughed.

The party moved along very quickly. Many of the guests were having fun playing baby shower games, among them "Pin the Pacifier on the Baby". Bert caused a few laughs by accidentally putting the pacifier on Bentley's nose. Some of the guests, Ralph and Melissa included, were sitting around eating the rather large cake.

"This was lovely, Ralph," Melissa smiled. "This was very thoughtful of Nicole and George. It's nice seeing our friends go to all this effort for us."

"I know," Ralph smiled as he swallowed a piece of cake. "I'll admit this wasn't much of a surprise to me, though..."

"And why was that?" Melissa wondered.

"Because George told me Nicole was planning to throw one for us a few months back..." Ralph admitted.

Melissa shook her head. "That brother of yours," she remarked. "Sometimes, I think Nicole really wound up with a handful when she married him!"

"He has his moments, sometimes," Ralph said. "Still, you're right. This was very thoughtful of them."

"Hi, Ralph, Melissa," Sophia said as she sat down next to the couple. "How've you two been holding up?"

"Oh, it's been rough," Melissa admitted. "I've had my ups and downs. But at least Ralph has been there to see me through the difficult times," she smiled, placing an arm around her grinning husband.

"Having someone to help you out definitely makes it easier for sure!" Sophia concurred.

"How are the twins doing, Sophia?" Ralph asked her. "We haven't seen them in a while."

"They're growing up so fast," Sophia fondly smiled. "Cecil has already taken his first steps. He's quite an active little thing! Sylvia, on the other hand, is still only crawling at the moment. I think it won't be long before she's up and walking too. She's a little more quiet than Cecil, but I love both of them just the same. They're mine and Cedric's pride and joys."

"I bet," Ralph nodded. "Just think, in another year or so our kids will be playing together."

"I think they'll make great friends," Sophia agreed.

"Alright, gather around, everyone!" George said as he banged on the table with his fist. "If I may have everyone's attention, I think it is now time to give our proud new parents-to-be their gifts!"

"Ooh," Sophia said as she got up and stood next to Cedric. "Cedric and I got you something really special. We went shopping for these the other day."

"Here you go, Ralph, Melissa," Cedric said as handed their gifts to them. "I don't really like shopping all that much, but I figured it was for my old friends."

"Thank you," Melissa said as she tore open the gift wrapping on their presents. "Oh my, look at these!" Cedric and Sophia had gotten the couple a few tiny dresses for their soon-to-be-born daughter. "Oh, these are cute! Thanks, you two!"

"No problem," Sophia said. "I bet your daughter is going to look adorable. You named her already, I heard?"

"Yeah, but we can't tell you that," Ralph said. "It's a secret between me and Melissa."

"We understand," Cedric nodded.

Ralph and Melissa made their way through their presents. Lisa had given them her favorite teddy bear from when she was a child. Bentley and Annie had given them a few of their old baby toys. Schaeffer had given them a security blanket.

Soon, it was Bert and Maxie's turn to give them their gifts.

"I bet you got us something really special, Bert," Ralph chuckled, "knowing you."

"Of course I got you something special," Bert grinned. "Well, actually, I didn't get you anything myself..."

"_Bert..._" Melissa frowned at her friend's apparent forgetfulness. "You could at least have gotten us something...you've been living with us the past decade...not to forget the baby is sharing a room with you..."

"No need to worry," Maxie said in an assuring tone of voice. "Bert had an idea and I helped him out with it. Here you two go," Maxie said as she handed the expectant couple a gift.

"Hmm, I wonder what it could be," Ralph said as he began unwrapping the gift. Much to his surprise, he found Bert's gift was a brand new scarf complete with the words "_Wo__rld's Greatest Father_" neatly sewn on it. "Hey, would you look at this!" Ralph chuckled. He found it quite a nice present. "Hey, I really like this! Thanks, Bert. This is really something. I'm going to start wearing this real soon," he smiled at his house guest.

"Hey, I thought you would like it," Bert said as he gave his oldest friend a friendly hug. "You're gonna do great as a Dad, Ralph. I know it."

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Ralph smiled.

"Bert told me he thought you might like it, so I sewed it up for you. I finished it...just yesterday, actually," Maxie informed him.

"Hey, that's really thoughtful of you two," Ralph smiled.

"I got you a present too, Mel," she said, handing Melissa a gift, "here you are."

Melissa unwrapped the gift to find that Maxie had gotten her a children's book. "_The Snoopy Little Kitten_?" Melissa remarked. "Hey, I remember my father reading this book to me when I was a little girl!"

"That was my favorite book from when I was a little girl, too," Maxie remarked. "I thought your child might like it."

"I'm sure she will, Maxie," Melissa smiled.

"Hey, little brother," George said as he stepped forward. "I made sure to get you a really good present. I think you'll really appreciate this one," he smirked as he handed Ralph a gift.

"Hmm...judging by the shape of this, I'd guess it's a book," Ralph said as he unwrapped the present. Sure enough, that was exactly what it was. "Let's see..." Ralph remarked as he read the title of the book. "'_How To Survive Fatherhood Without Losing Your Sanity In The Process'_, by Chris Blackhawk..." Ralph glared at his brother. "George, you bought me a book written by a stand-up comedian! Why on earth do you think I would want _this_?"

"Well, Ralph, you took a course on the basics of fatherhood, didn't you?" George asked his sibling.

"I sure did," Ralph proudly stated. "Passed it with flying colors, too."

"Well, there are some things not even a fatherhood course can teach you. Fatherhood is serious business, for sure," George smiled, "but sometimes, well, I think we ought to take a look at the lighter side of being a dad. It doesn't always have to be serious, you know. Maybe this book will help you see the lighter side of fatherhood. At least, I think so."

Ralph shrugged. "Well...I suppose." He didn't really think he'd be interested in the book, but he figured he should be polite and thank his elder sibling for the present anyways. "Thanks, big brother."

"I have a prezent for you az well, Melizza," Nicole smiled. "I think thez one will be one you will _really_ like."

Melissa took the present from her friend. "Something I'll really like, huh?" she remarked. "We'll see..." Melissa opened Nicole's gift to see that she had gotten her a leather-bound book. Nothing was written on the front cover. "Err...what's this, Nicole?" Melissa was a little confused.

"Thez iz a scrapbook," Nicole smiled. "It iz zomething you can uze to chronicle you and your child over the yearz as she growz up. You can place picturez in there to remind you of precious memoriez of you and your little one. You could alzo uze it to record baby milestonez, zuch as your baby'z firzt lozt tooth. I have one myzelf that I bought when I waz pregnant with Bentley." Nicole sighed. "He and I have been looking through it a lot lately, zeeing az he iz about to leave for college zoon..."

"Aw, don't worry, Mom," Bentley said as he stood next to his mother and smiled at her. "Sure, I'll be away at college, but I'll be going right here to Evergreen U. Plus, I'll always stop by for a visit if you like."

"I know, Bentley, it iz juzt going to be...different without you around the house..." Nicole sighed. Her face brightened up as she glanced towards Melissa. "Zho, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Melissa immediately smiled. "It's a wonderful gift. Ralph and I already have a few photos of me pregnant that we could put in there. Plus the doctor let us keep a picture of all my ultrasounds. It's a great present, isn't it Ralph?"

"Sure is," Ralph nodded in reply. The happy couple felt delighted that their friends had gone to so much effort for them. They would cherish this evening and the gifts for a long time to come.

* * *

><p>It's now early August in the Evergreen Forest. Summer is blowing by in a hurry. Soon, autumn will arrive and the temperatures in the Forest will start dropping. But everyone is enjoying the summer while it lasts...<p>

Bentley Raccoon was walking through the Evergreen Forest with his girlfriend, Annie. The two of them had recently graduated Evergreen High and were heading off to Evergreen University in the fall. Bentley had been his class valedictorian, so it had been up to him to give a speech at their graduation. "_I'm not_ _much of a speaker,_" Bentley thought to himself. "_But I think I gave a pretty good speech._" Bentley and Annie were planning to take different career paths. Bentley was hoping to become a computer technician, while Annie was planning to study journalism in the hopes of having a full-time job at the _Evergreen Standard_. They had different college plans as well: Bentley was planning to move into the dorms, while Annie was planning to stay at home with her mother and travel back and forth. "_I wonder what kind of roommate I'll get..._" he idly thought. Bentley knew his parents were going to miss him as both their children would have left their home. He was already planning to leave and in the process of gathering his stuff. "_I'll still come visit Mom and Dad anytime they want to see me, though_."

Bentley's thoughts, however, were mainly focused on other things at the moment. He was thinking about his old pal, Bert. Things had changed a lot in the past few months for his older friend. Bert had finally managed to get a girlfriend after spending years alone. But _who_ Bert's girlfriend was bothered Bentley. "_Why did he have to end up with Annie's mom? I had a feeling it might happen...I was just hoping it wouldn't..._" It seemed so...odd to Bentley that his friend would be dating, of all people, his own girlfriend's mother. Miss Ringtail was a nice woman, he had to admit, but she didn't seem like much of a match for Bert in his opinion. He had seen the two of them together and to his mind, they seemed _way_ too much of an odd couple. Plus, Bentley was wondering what would happen if Bert and Maxie were to stay together and actually get married someday. Bentley had a good feeling he would likely one day marry Annie if he didn't screw up somewhere along the way, so in that situation, Bert would become his stepfather-in-law. "_Stepfather-in-law is a weird title to call someone..._" Bentley sighed.

Annie glanced at her boyfriend. "What's wrong with you Bentley? You've been awfully quiet..."

Bentley shrugged. "I've just been thinking about Bert and your mom. They make a pretty weird couple, don't they?"

"They make a pretty unusual couple, yes," Annie admitted, "but I don't see what's wrong with them dating."

"I can't really understand why you'd be comfortable with the two of them together. I mean, you've known Bert for such a long time and now he's dating your mother. How can you be comfortable with that?"

Annie frowned at her boyfriend. "Because my Mom is happy with him. She's been lonely for a long time; I've wanted to see her happy for the longest time. If she's happy with Bert, then I'm happy for her. Besides, I think Bert has been treating her well. She's been having a lot of fun lately and she's been missing out on that for years. It's done some good for her and I think it's doing some good for him, too."

Bentley wasn't really convinced. "It would just be so awkward to me. I wouldn't be comfortable with Bert dating _my _mother."

Annie rolled her eyes. "C'mon now, Bentley. Your mother has been married longer than you've been alive. You know that could never happen; there's no need to go into 'what-ifs'."

"I was only just saying..." Bentley said as the two of them passed by the old clubhouse. As they passed by the clubhouse's window, they could hear voices from inside the clubhouse.

"Huh...wonder who's in there?" Bentley said aloud. He could overhear something unusual going on in there.

"Wow, Max. That's really...something!" a familiar voice ecstatically said from inside. The window was dirty, so they couldn't see clearly inside the clubhouse.

"Sounds like Bert and my Mom are in there," Annie realized. "Huh, I wonder what they're up to?"

"That's not all, Bert," Maxie's voice came from within, "wait until I show you _this_..."

Bert and Maxie's conversation sounded more than a little..._suggestive_ to Bentley. "Are they...? No, they couldn't be!"

"Are they what?" Annie wondered.

"Are they about to...well, _you know_..." Bentley replied.

"_Oh_." Annie knew her mother loved Bert dearly; it was certainly likely that she desired him...in that way. Annie knew her mother had not been with a man since before she had actually had been born...no doubt she had to have pent-up desires hidden away inside of her..."It's not our business if they are, Bentley."

"That's incredible, Maxie. You really are something, you know that?" Bert laughed from inside the clubhouse.

"Oh, I know. That's still not all, Bert...I'm going to show you something I think you will _really _like," Maxie said in a rather...flirtatious tone of voice.

"Oh God," Bentley groaned under his breath. "They _really _are..." He didn't need the mental image of his buddy and his girlfriend's mother in the mood for love...and that was apparently what was going on in the old clubhouse.

"We should leave them alone, Bentley," Annie whispered. "I don't think they would want to be bothered."

"Wow-ee!" Bert whistled. "Now _that _is amazing, Max."

"I thought you would like it," Maxie replied.

"I think that's a very good idea!" Bentley shouted as he and Annie dashed off. They felt pretty embarrassed to have heard Bert and Maxie evidently about to make love in the clubhouse.

Had they stayed a little longer, however, they would have found out the duo's conversation was much more innocent. "Say, Max, did you hear someone?"

Maxie shrugged. "No, did you?"

"I think I heard Bentley out there," Bert replied.

"Oh," Maxie said, flipping through her sketchbook. She had actually been showing Bert the sketches she had made of characters from his no-longer in progress novel. "You really like my sketches, huh?"

"They really are something, Maxie. You are quite the natural," Bert grinned. "I think you're good enough to be a professional."

"Like I said, Bert, when I was a teenager I wanted to write and illustrate children's books for a career." Maxie sighed. "Unfortunately, Annie coming along put paid to that idea..."

"Well, you really are good," Bert complimented his girlfriend. "When I asked if you would draw the characters from my novel, well, I only thought you'd draw a few characters. Didn't think ya'd actually draw every character I told you about! I really am impressed, Max."

"Oh, thank you," Maxie humbly said. "What I don't understand is why you gave up writing your novel. You were so excited to write a fantasy book of your own and you and Bentley were really working hard on it. Why exactly did you quit?"

"Ah," Bert sighed, "well, I'm not that good of a writer, really. I tried my best, but it didn't seem like it was coming out quite right to me. I'm not sure anyone would want to read it anyways. Who wants to read something that...ya know...out there?"

"I sure would," Maxie smiled as she placed her paw on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I would love to read the whole thing someday."

"I know you would, but who else?"

"I'm sure there's a market out there for your kind of work," Maxie said. "Never know, do you?"

"Well...you're right. I really don't know, do I?" Bert replied.

"No," Maxie said. "If anything, I'd love to help you co-write your book..."

"You would?" Bert was a little surprised.

"Of course I would," Maxie said as she gave her goofy boyfriend a kiss. "I'd definitely love to. You may have guessed from my sketches I have a bit of an imagination myself..."

"I guess we're not so different after all, huh?" Bert said.

"When we look at it, no, we're not," Maxie nodded.

"I guess I could give it a shot. I'll see if Bentley's up for giving it another go...although I'm not sure he'd want to work with us now," Bert shrugged.

"I know he's been a little uncomfortable with you and me dating," Maxie replied. "Well, he'll just have to get used to it. I'm not going to leave you anytime soon," she emphatically stated. "_Maybe some__day I could be Mrs. Bert Raccoon...oh no, stop getting ahead of yourself there, Maxie..._" Maxie quickly thought to herself. In her mind, she thought Bert would make good husband material...someday. First, she wanted to see if they could maintain their relationship long enough for that to happen...

"I'm sure he'll get used to us being together eventually," Bert replied. "I can kinda understand his position though. I think it would be a little weird if my best friend was dating my girlfriend's mother as well. But I'm not gonna break up with ya because of that. And Bentley's still my little buddy. I'm proud of the little guy."

"He was the class valedictorian, wasn't he?" Maxie asked.

"Yeah, he was. I think he's really gonna go far in this world. Annie couldn't have found a better boyfriend if she tried."

"I'd rather she be dating him than someone who would make her follow the same path in life I did," Maxie smiled. "I want Annie to have a better life than I did. Before I started taking medication and before I started dating you, I was unhappy and miserable for years. I don't want to go back to that, and I don't want my daughter living like that."

"I understand," Bert nodded.

"Anyways, Bert, how's it feel knowing you're about to be an uncle? Mel's do...what, in another month or so?" Maxie asked as she changed the subject.

"I think so," Bert replied. "She and Ralph are really excited about the baby."

"I can't blame them at all," Maxie said. "This is probably one of the biggest moments in all their lives, after all. Having a child is a pretty big deal. But how do you feel knowing you're about to be sharing a house with a new little bundle of joy?"

"Ah, I'm pretty excited, myself," Bert smiled. "I can't wait to play with the little one when it gets bigger. I do kinda wish they were having a little boy, though. I wanted Bentley and me to have a new little buddy to play with when he got bigger. I don't mind that they're having a girl, but...I think I woulda liked a little boy more. I guess Annie is going to be the one getting a new little buddy."

"I know she's pretty excited; she's looking forward to helping babysit their daughter. I think she'll do a good job," Maxie smiled. "But, well, that's how it goes sometimes, Bert. You can't choose what gender a child is. It doesn't work like that. At least, I don't think it should."

"I agree," Bert nodded.

"How did Ralph like his present you gave him at the baby shower, anyways?" Maxie wondered. "I worked pretty hard making that scarf for him...for that much effort I put into it, I really hope he _did _ like it."

"Oh, he loves it," Bert smiled. "He's stopped wearing his old scarf altogether. He loves this new scarf. Ralphie boy is _really_ proud that he's gonna be a Daddy. It's kinda funny he was once scared of having kids, isn't it?"

"I can understand his fear," Maxie remarked. "But raising a child has its own rewards. It is a very rewarding experience in the long run."

"I can see that," Bert nodded. "Look at how happy Cedric and Sophia are raising the twins. They're practically naturals when it comes to parenting!"

"So I heard," Maxie replied. "Bert...I'm bored sitting here in the clubhouse..." she sighed.

"Hmmm..." Bert quickly thought of an activity that might captivate his girlfriend's interest. "Hey, I think they might have some good movies down at Evergreen Theater tonight. You _are_ off tonight, right?"

"I have the night off tonight, yes," Maxie nodded.

"Why don't we go see a movie tonight then? Sounds like a good idea to me, whaddya think?" Bert asked, nudging Maxie.

"A movie? I think it sounds like a nice idea," Maxie grinned at her boyfriend's suggestion. "Hey, Bert," she winked at him, "maybe if I get scared, you can hold me and protect me from the big scary monsters..."

"Ooh, sounds like a nice idea there," Bert grinned. "I'll make sure the swamp monsters and the fire zombies don't get ya, Max."

"I feel so safe with you," Maxie giggled.

"You could never be more safe than with me!" Bert laughed. He was really enjoying the time he was spending with his new girlfriend; he was definitely starting to grow to love her. Bert had a feeling they would be together for years to come...

* * *

><p>It's a mid-September evening in the Evergreen Forest, and summer is nearly at its end. The leaves are starting to turn brown and soon cold weather will come to the Forest. For one couple, however, today is a huge moment of excitement...<p>

Ralph Raccoon was pacing back and forth in the waiting room of Evergreen Hospital. Earlier today, Melissa had surprised him by going into labor. Somehow, someway, Ralph had gotten her to the hospital. He didn't remember exactly _how _he got her here, but the important thing was that she was here, safely in the delivery room, ready to give birth to their daughter. Ralph couldn't wait for the good news. He was eagerly awaiting a chance to hold little Victoria. "_I'm ready to be a Dad, more than ever,_" Ralph cheerfully thought to himself.

Something seemed _really_ odd, though. Ralph was all alone in the waiting room. Not a single one of his friends was here with him. Ralph had remembered that most of his friends said they would be here with him and help ease his nerves while he waited for his daughter to be born. He would have thought George and Nicole would be here to overhear the news of the arrival of their niece. Cedric and Sophia should have been here because he and Melissa had been there when their twins had been born and they had promised to return the favor. Lisa and Bentley ought to have been here since this was their new cousin. Bert should have been here since he was going to be sharing a bedroom with their baby daughter. "_And Mom should be here, too,_" Ralph thought to himself. "_She told me she wanted to be here to see the birth of her third grandchild_." It was so...strange that none of them were here, especially seeing how supportive they had been of the couple throughout Melissa's entire pregnancy. But it was only a minor nuisance to him. He was still filled with excitement, anticipation, and anxiety.

What felt like hours seemed to go by in a haze to Ralph. "I hope they have news soon..." Ralph whispered to himself.

At last, Ralph saw what he waiting to see. Nurse Peck entered the waiting room and came towards Ralph. For some reason, she had a rather...grim look on her face. Ralph wondered why. But he didn't really care. "_Surely, Victoria's just been born,_" Ralph eagerly smiled.

He approached Nurse Peck. "Nurse Peck," Ralph asked the feline nurse, "first of all, tell me how my wife's doing. Did she make it through labor okay?"

The look on Nurse Peck's face turned even more grim. "I know you are excited to hear news about the birth of your daughter, but...Mr. Raccoon, I have some _really_ bad news..." she somberly said.

Ralph was alarmed by that. Bad news? What could have possibly gone wrong? How could something have gone wrong? Ralph wanted to know. "Just tell me, is my wife okay? Is she recovering alright?"

Nurse Peck sighed. "Mr. Raccoon, this is the hardest part of my job...Mr. Raccoon...I'm afraid...I'm afraid your wife is...Your wife has died, Mr. Raccoon."

Ralph almost fainted upon hearing those words. Melissa...was dead? She didn't survive giving birth to their daughter? How could this have happened? "Nurse..." Ralph said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You...you have to be kidding me! My wife can't be dead! No, no, no, no! She has to be alright! She _has _to!"

Nurse Peck continued to look somber. "I'm sorry, Mr. Raccoon. It was just too much for her. She lost so much blood. We tried our best to save her, but...there was nothing we could do to help her. She's gone."

Melissa _couldn't _be dead. Now Ralph would have to raise their daughter...alone. It was a horrifying moment for him. "No...Melissa...no..." Ralph said as he broke down and started sobbing. "Melissa...why...why...I...I didn't tell her I loved her before she died...no...no...this can't be happening to me..."

"That's not all the bad news I have, Mr. Raccoon," Nurse Peck said, her tone of voice still very somber.

"What could be worse than my wife dying giving birth to my child? I'm a widower now! I have nothing more to live for...I lost the love of my life today!" Ralph sobbed.

"Mr. Raccoon, I'm afraid...your daughter has died as well. She was stillborn. She was strangled by her own umbilical cord. The last thing your wife ever saw before she died was her own stillborn daughter." Nurse Peck sighed. "I'm very sorry this happened, Mr. Raccoon."

Ralph let out the most despaired sobbing in the world. This was the worst thing that could ever happen to him in his life. Not only he had lost his beloved Melissa, their only child never got a chance at life either. "Why...why...why...WHY!"

"Ralph, wake up..." a familiar voice said. Ralph was confused. "Huh, what...?" Ralph weakly said.

"Ralph, wake up, wake up! Are you alright?" the concerned voice said.

Ralph found himself snug in his bed in the Raccoondominium. He found Melissa's soft blue eyes gazing at him, filled with worry. Ralph was immediately relieved. He had only been having a horrible nightmare. Today was the last day of August.

Ralph immediately gave his by now heavily pregnant wife a hug. "Oh, Melissa, thank goodness. You're alright! I was so...scared."

Melissa smiled softly at him. "Were you having a nightmare, sweetie? You kept shouting out my name and saying 'why, why, why?' over and over again..."

Ralph nodded. "Only the worst kind of nightmare I could ever have." Ralph was still pretty terrified by that dream he had.

"What happened, dear?" Melissa asked him.

"Melissa...I dreamed...that you died," Ralph said, quickly kissing her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Ralph," Melissa said, a look of sympathy in her eyes. She had terrible nightmares like that before, too, so she knew what her husband was going through. "Ralph, if you can, tell me what happened."

"I was in Evergreen Hospital's waiting room and you were in the delivery room giving birth," Ralph said as he tried to calm himself down. "Nurse Peck came out and told me you died giving birth to our daughter. Then, to make matters worse, she told me Victoria was stillborn as she'd been strangled to death by her own umbilical cord. It was...so frightening..." Ralph said as a few tears came to his eyes.

Melissa gently embraced her scared husband. "Awww, Ralph, don't worry. I'm right here," she said.

"I'm just scared, Melissa..." Ralph nervously said. "When you first told me you wanted to have children, part of the reason I wasn't so keen on the idea was because I was afraid something like that could happen..."

"But your mother helped convince you to not worry about that," Melissa replied.

"Yes, but...we're so close to the baby arriving now," Ralph said. "It's not a matter of months anymore."

"I know," Melissa said as she placed her paws on her enormous tummy. "I just entered my ninth month of pregnancy. It's a matter of weeks now...could be days. On our last visit to the hospital a couple days ago, Dr. Hensley told us the baby could be born any day." Melissa knew it, too. She glanced over at the calender hanging on the wall. She had already changed the month to September...and she saw what she had marked on the calendar: "Baby!" It was almost here. "I can't believe I'm really going to be a mother very, _very_ soon..."

"I know, but Melissa...I just wonder...what will I do if you _don't_ survive childbirth?" Ralph worried. "I can't bear that thought. I don't want that to happen."

"Well, Ralph," Melissa warmly replied, as she still had an arm around her husband to comfort him. "I knew when I first decided I wanted to have children, that having them at my age could be potentially hazardous."

"It's what I'm worried about," Ralph quietly said.

"I'm more than a little anxious about giving birth myself," Melissa calmly replied, "and I know at the very least it will hurt...a _lot_. I know the medicine will make it hurt less, but it will _still_ hurt. But you know what? I was told early on that my pregnancy could potentially be risky. But guess what? I've made it through all nine months so far without any health complications. Me and the baby are both healthy. My baby even survived getting stuck in the Endless Echo Caverns for more than an hour. I think I am going to be able to have a live birth instead of a C-section. If I've made it this far through pregnancy without any problems, I think I can survive childbirth."

"But what if you don't...?" Ralph worried.

"Well..." Melissa said. "Then there's not really much you can do, Ralph. I've thought about it recently, and I've realized, whatever happens, happens. We're already too far into this to turn back, Ralph. I have to go through with this. As much stress as this baby has put on me as it's been wreaking havoc on my body, I want the baby. I want to be a mother. I want our little Victoria to be born."

"You're right," Ralph said. "Whatever happens, happens, I guess. But in my dream, I never told you how much I loved you before you died..."

"Oh, Ralph, don't worry," Melissa giggled. "I already know you love me very much."

"But if you do die, I want those to be the last words you ever hear me say," Ralph said. "I don't think I can handle seeing a child come out of you, so I don't think I'll be in there with you."

"Like I've already said, sweetie, I understand," Melissa smiled.

"I'm just saying...those are the last words I want you to hear. If you do die, I want the last thought going through your mind to be how much I love you."

"You're so sweet, Ralph," Melissa said as she softly kissed her husband. "I know you would want me to think of that."

"Of course," Ralph smiled. "I mean, I'm so lucky to have someone like you. When I was a teenager, I never thought I would meet a woman like you. You're everything I was ever looking for in a woman: smart, pretty, funny, and kind. I really didn't think I would ever find a woman like that."

"I really am something special, aren't I?" Melissa smiled.

"Absolutely," Ralph beamed. "You really are one in a million."

"I remember the little speech you gave when you won the Small-Town Editor of the Year Award back in July...for the fifth time," she chuckled. "You said you felt half the credit for winning the award went to me."

"I remember, too," Ralph smiled. "I mean that, too. You really are like an inspiration to me. Without you, I don't think I'd have the motivation to run the _Standard_ week in, week out. If I had never met you, I don't think I'd ever have ended up running a successful newspaper. I'm not sure what I would have done, but I probably would have just given up on my dream and done something else..."

"Ralph, that speech was one of the most touching things I ever heard you say," she fondly smiled. "You got a really big applause out of the audience for that one too. You always seem to say the sweetest things about me."

"Because they come from my heart," Ralph said. "My heart always belongs to you."

"I know," Melissa nodded. "I think I'm pretty lucky to have you, too. With you, I've gotten to live a great life. Can you imagine if I had married, say, Troy? It was nice seeing him again after all those years, but I don't think I could have married him. I think my life would have probably been pretty awful if I had chose to stay with him even after moving here," she chuckled.

"I don't think Troy ever really loved you at all," Ralph replied, "at least, not like I do. If he had, he would have stopped me from trying to take him on to impress you."

"I can only imagine if this child was _h__is_," Melissa said. Troy had been the first man she had ever slept with...and a part of her felt pretty bad for having done that. She wished she would have saved herself for Ralph...it would have made the experience of losing her virginity that much more special. Troy hadn't even bothered to protect himself, so she felt pretty lucky and glad she didn't get pregnant back then. Had that happened, Melissa felt it was possible her life could have taken a similar path to the one Maxie's had ended up taking up until recently. Troy would have likely abandoned her just like Maxie had been abandoned by her boyfriend, although she was sure her father wouldn't kick her out...Melissa was glad that had not ended up happening. "Needless to say, I don't believe he would have been as big a help as you have."

"Like I said, I've been trying to make this as comfortable an experience for you as possible."

"You have done a great job of that," Melissa smiled at him. "We've had some rough times, but we're almost there. You've done such a great job taking care of me...you know what? I don't care what anyone says; I stand by what I wrote in that birthday card I made you a couple years ago. In my book, you _are _the world's greatest husband. And I think you are going to be the world's greatest father, just like your new scarf says you are."

"I love that scarf," Ralph smirked. "I really am ready to be a Dad. I can't believe we're really almost parents, honey."

"I know," Melissa smiled, rubbing her huge stomach. "She's really almost here."

"Anyways, Melissa...I'm sorry I woke you up. I know you need your rest," he said, feeling embarrassed. "I'm just worried, you know...I don't want anything bad to happen to you or Victoria," he smiled, glancing at her belly. "I want us to grow old together. I want our child to grow up and have a good life."

"I know, I'm not mad at all, Ralph," Melissa smiled.

"I want you to live because, well, our daughter needs a good female role model growing up. She needs a good Mommy to teach her about the world and help guide her through life. I couldn't think of a better role model for her than you, honey. I hope Victoria will grow up to be a lot like you," Ralph beamed.

"I hope I will be a good Mommy," Melissa grinned as well. "Who knows, maybe she could grow up to be like me?"

"I hope so," Ralph replied. "I wonder which of us she'll look more like? Do you think she'll look more like you or more like me?"

"Well, personally, Ralph," Melissa remarked, "I think she'll look a lot like you."

"Do you think so?"

"I have a good feeling," Melissa smiled.

Ralph yawned. He figured it was time to get some more sleep. Ralph leaned in and gave his heavily pregnant wife a huge kiss. "Goodnight, Melissa. Hope you have pleasant dreams...you need some rest."

"Goodnight, Ralph," Melissa smiled as well as she laid her head back down. "Hope you have better dreams than the one you just had."

Ralph lifted up the quilts, proceeded to lift up Melissa's nightgown, and gave her enormous bump a big kiss as well. "Goodnight, my precious little Victoria," he smiled. "Hope you sleep well in there. You need rest too, for the big day that's coming very soon..."

The couple quickly went back to sleep. It would only be a matter of days before their baby was finally ready to enter the world...

**END CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So there it is, Chapter Fourteen. The penultimate chapter of this story is complete. That means there's only one chapter left in this whole story. We're really almost at the end, folks...Just a few notes this time, not that I usually have many, anyways...

Melissa getting stuck in Endless Echo Caverns was an idea a reader gave to me (you know who you are :D). I liked this idea since I was a bit short on ideas for this chapter, so it helped me fill out this chapter nicely...It's unusual to see Melissa being careless, but everyone has momentary lapses, so it makes her feel more realistic in my book. Bert having to give up his peanut butter to help rescue her...Heheh, poor Bert. He really _is _going to be glad when this is all over and the baby arrives!

Ralph and Melissa's baby shower...I admit I've never actually been to a baby shower. Nobody really close to my family has had a baby recently, so I admit I don't know a whole lot about them. I used one of raccoonqueen/JENNY-87's stories for things such as gift ideas. I thought all the gifts were pretty nice ones myself. George's is a little silly, but Ralph could stand to see the lighter side of fatherhood, as well.

Bentley and Annie thinking they are overhearing Bert and Maxie in the mood for love...Haha, I thought that was a funny mental picture, so I thought it would be fun to write that. Taken out of context, what they say in this chapter _definitely_ sounds suggestive. I figure it's about time Bert got started on his novel again. You'll see more of it in the next story I write...

Ralph's nightmare...don't worry, I won't do anything twisted like that. Melissa will be okay...but there'll still be a surprise in store (I won't spoil it).

Next chapter...is the last chapter of this entire story. In the final chapter, Bert and Maxie end up getting themselves into a _real_ jam after having a few too many, Bert draws the wrath of Ralph, Melissa goes into labor, and Ralph and Melissa's child is finally born!


	15. Chapter 15: New Horizon

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, it's a been a long, up and down ride, but at last, we've reached the final chapter of this story. Melissa's desire to have children was fulfilled when she finally got pregnant, and now it is nearly time for her and Ralph's baby to finally enter the world. Seeing as this is the last chapter, that means their baby will finally be born. They will finally be parents...although there is a little surprise in store. What will that surprise be? You'll see...Meanwhile, love is blooming between Bert and Maxie, and in this chapter, they spend a night stargazing and drinking beer together...which causes them to get into a really big predicament, but one that bonds them closer together in the process...needless to say, it doesn't make Ralph happy to find out what's going on between them! So, what'll happen?

Let's find out one final time in...

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: New Horizon**

It's a cool September evening in the Evergreen Forest. Today is a Friday, and nearly all of the Forest's residents are home with their loved ones. Seeing as it's past eight o'clock and the sun has just set, many of the Forest's inhabitants will be going to bed soon. Others, however, are looking forward to the night life...

Maxie Ringtail was lying back under a tree near her boyfriend Bert's old clubhouse; a frequent gathering spot for the two. She was thinking about their recent relationship, which seemed to be growing a little stronger and stronger with every passing day the two spent together. "_I have really enjoyed these past few months..._" she fondly smiled, "_these__ have probably been the best few months of my whole life._" Bert had shown her good times she hadn't experienced in many years; he was showing her the good in life. She dearly loved him and she smiled realizing that he had definitely come to love her back. Tonight, she was waiting for Bert to meet her by this tree as he had planned for them to do some stargazing together. "_Bert can make even the most mundane things like stargazing fun. I **love **that man..._" she smiled to herself.

Still, Maxie had to wonder where her boyfriend was off to. He said to meet her by eight o'clock...she had been here on time as she had the night off from working at the Blue Spruce Cafe. Maxie checked her wristwatch. "Eight-thirty," Maxie remarked. "He's late...Hope he shows up soon..." She was looking forward to cuddling with her man while they gazed at the stars, and she was feeling anxious waiting for him...

Finally, a familiar figure came towards her. "Ah, Bert, there you are! You're more than a little late," she chuckled.

"Sorry, babe," Bert said, feeling a little embarrassed to be late for his date. Bert had recently taken to calling Maxie "babe", a pet name she really happened to like. "I had a long day at the_ Standard_. Had to stay really late putting the finishing touches on this week's edition...Ralphie boy put me in charge of running the _Standard _for a little while and I'm tryin' my best not to screw everything up."

"Ah, I suppose that's because he wants to be with Mel, right?" Maxie asked as Bert sat next to her and scooted up against her.

"Yeah," Bert nodded. "Melissa's on maternity leave and Ralph is staying home with her because he wants to be there when the baby's ready to be born."

"Ah," Maxie replied. "When is their baby due, anyways? It should be ready to arrive, shouldn't it?"

"It's due any day," Bert said. "Should be soon. I'm kinda excited to have a new little arrival back home at the Raccoondominium. It's really almost here."

"I bet Mel's really excited, too," Maxie responded.

"Oh, she is!" Bert enthusiastically replied to his girlfriend's statement. "She and Ralph are _really_ excited for the little one's arrival. They are gonna be so proud to be parents. I'm glad for 'em," he smiled.

"Me too," Maxie agreed. She had noticed her boyfriend was holding something in his paws. "What have you got there, Bert?"

"Oh," Bert replied, "Max, I've brought a twelve pack of beer with me," he informed her.

"Any particular reason you brought that with you?" she asked him.

"Well, I've worked so hard all day I feel I need to unwind somehow. Plus, I figured we could just sit back and watch the stars together while we had a few Snoup's together. Whaddya say? Sounds like a nice night, doesn't it?"

It had been a while since Maxie actually had beer, but she figured it would definitely be a nice way to spend an evening. At least she was with her man. "Sure thing, Bert. Toss me a beer, if you don't mind."

"Okay," Bert said as he took one of the beers and handed it to Maxie. Bert took one out himself as Maxie opened the can of Snoup's.

"Wow, Max, the night sky sure is something, isn't it?" Bert smiled as he laid back and took a sip from his own can of beer.

"You know, I've never really taken a good look at the stars before," she admitted. "But you're right. The stars are pretty spectacular. It's pretty amazing we're just one small dot out there in space among a bunch of other dots, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Bert nodded as he placed an arm around his girlfriend's waist. "I know a few constellations and a few of the stars, ya know."

"You do?" Maxie wondered as she took a sip from her beer. She pointed to one of the stars overhead. "Tell me, Bert, what star is that? Do you know?"

"Ah, I think so," Bert nodded. "That's Procyon. It's a star in the constellation Canis Minor, which I think means the 'little dog'. It's one of the brighter stars in the night sky."

"And what's that one right near it?" Maxie asked him. She didn't know too much about the night sky.

"That one's Sirius," Bert informed her. "Brightest star in the whole sky. I think it's also called the 'Dog Star'."

"How'd you learn so much about the stars, Bert?" Maxie asked her silly boyfriend.

"Ralphie boy used to be a bit of an astronomer back in the day," Bert replied. "He taught me a few things about the stars."

"That Ralph is _such _a nerd," Maxie chuckled. "He knows just about everything, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Bert laughed as well. "He's a good guy, though. He's been my friend for ages."

"I know. Mel is really lucky to have a guy like him. He practically treats her like his queen," Maxie agreed.

"He's gonna be a great Dad for sure," Bert smiled.

About an hour passed and Bert and Maxie had drank a few beers together. They just laid back and cuddled as they gazed at the stars together. They felt as if they were the only two people in the world right now.

Maxie sighed. Bert wondered what was bugging his girlfriend. "What's the matter, babe?" Bert asked her, holding her a little bit tighter to reassure her.

"Bert, I've just been thinking about my job," Maxie said.

"It's a nice job, isn't it?" Bert smiled at her.

"Nah..." Maxie shook her head. "I don't really like working at the Blue Spruce Cafe all that much. There's hardly any excitement. Most of the real excitement I've been experiencing lately has been with you. I'm thinking maybe a change in career might be good for me."

"What do you want to do, Max? The sky's the limit, ya know," he laughed.

"Oh...I don't know," Maxie shrugged. "I've had so many jobs over the years...I was so desperate to be able to support Annie and help her grow up, I took just about any job available to me. I even worked...as a telemarketer, once," Maxie cringed. That had been _such _an unpleasant experience for her.

"Wow," Bert said. "Sometimes we do crazy things, huh, babe?"

"Yeah," Maxie replied. "Now I finally have a stable career, but...I just don't feel satisfied with my job. There's no fun in washing dishes. But I never graduated high school because of Annie coming along. What can I really do?"

Bert was trying to think of something. "Hmm..." he mused, quickly taking a sip of his fourth beer of the night. Maxie had already had five. "Do you know Ralphie boy's big brother George?"

"I do," Maxie nodded. "His wife Nicole is a friend of mine. I talk to her sometimes; she's a good person to talk to."

"You know he hosts that 'Chef Surprise' show on K. N. O. X. TV, right?"

"Yes, I do," Maxie nodded, finishing off another beer. "What about it?"

"Well, at the end of this year, his contract is up," Bert explained to her. "He's decided to not renew his contract and he's instead decided to use the money he saved that he earned from the show by opening up his very own restaurant. Ralph said that was a life long dream of his."

"A new restaurant in the Forest, huh?" she replied. "How's this concern me?"

"Well," Bert thought, "maybe you could apply for a job there. Maybe you could be a waitress or something. It would be a step up from washin' dishes all night, wouldn't it?"

"A job as a waitress, huh? I suppose that wouldn't be all that bad," Maxie remarked. "You know what, Bert, I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem, babe," Bert winked as he gave her a quick kiss. "I'm here to help if ya need me."

More time had passed and presently the raccoon couple had finished off their twelve-pack of beer. Maxie had drank seven beers while Bert drank five. It was getting a little late.

"Hey," Bert said. "What time is it, Max?"

"Uh..." Maxie slowly lifted her arm up and checked her watch. "It's ah, a little after eleven, Bert,"

"Ooh, a little late," he replied. "I think we oughta be heading back home, don't you?"

"I guess," Maxie nodded as they got up, remembering to pick up their beers. "Let's head on back to our homes, Bert."

"Okay," Bert said as he took his girlfriend's paw. "I'll drop ya off at your place, then."

Bert and Maxie headed back towards Maxie's house. Maxie was pretty silent along the way...she was busy thinking to herself. "_Y__ou know, these past few months with Bert have been wonderful. He's funny, silly, and surprisingly sweet. I'm really glad I finally got him,_" she smiled. "_But..._" she cheekily thought to herself, as she gazed at her goofy boyfriend, "_I can't help but wonder __how he is...in bed..._" Maxie couldn't help but feel like a naughty raccoon at the moment. She had been alone for so many years; it had been so long since she had slept with a man. The last time that had actually happened, Annie had been the result. She'd spent more than a few lonely nights wishing she had a man with her, and now she currently had a boyfriend...She felt they had been together long enough and had really bonded with one another. She had practically forgotten what it was like to feel a man's touch; she was longing to feel that again. "_Well, I'm not spending tonight alone..._" Maxie said, a cheeky grin coming across her face. "_I've got a naugh__ty little idea...I bet he'll love it!_"

Bert noticed the cheeky smile on Maxie's face. "Something on your mind there, Max?"

Maxie realized he had taken notice. "Oh, nothing, nothing, Bert," Maxie quickly replied. "Hey, look, we're already here." Sure enough, they were already standing on the front doorstep of Maxie's house.

"Looks like we are," Bert said. He quickly embraced his girlfriend, giving her a kiss. "Sure was a nice night tonight, wasn't it?"

"Sure was," Maxie said. She was just waiting to pounce...

"Well, babe, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, huh?" he asked her as he prepared to leave. Maxie wasn't about to let her man get away...she was determined to have him stay for the night for a little _fun_...

"Uh, hold on a minute, Bert," Maxie said, stopping him from leaving. "I have something I've been meaning to show you."

"Oh?" Bert was interested. "You do now? Tell me, what have you got for me?"

"It's upstairs in my bedroom. Let me just go upstairs and I'll see if I can find it. I'll call you when I find it, alright?" she asked him.

"Sure, I guess," Bert shrugged.

"Good, I'll just be upstairs..." Maxie slyly grinned. She was feeling ecstatic inside. She'd reeled her man in. Now she had her opportunity...

A few minutes passed and Bert sat at the front door, tapping his foot. He knew Annie was spending the night at one of her new college friends' house, so Maxie would be spending the night all alone. "Wonder what her surprise is...?" Bert said aloud to himself. He wondered what she could have in store for him...it had to be important if she wanted to show him right now.

At last, Bert heard her voice calling from upstairs. "Oh, Bert! I found it! Why don't you come on up and I'll show you your little surprise?" she shouted in a very flirtatious voice.

"I'll be there," Bert called after her. Bert walked upstairs and entered Maxie's bedroom.

He was surprised at how dark it was...the curtains were closed and the room was nearly pitch black, aside from the glow of lights in the hallway. He could hardly see anything in here. Bert wondered where his girlfriend was. "Max...what's goin' on here?"

Suddenly, Bert saw a shadow racing through the darkness towards him. The figure tackled him and knocked him onto Maxie's bed. "HEY!" Bert shouted, more than a little surprised.

He saw who the figure was...Maxie had ended up on top of her boyfriend, and she was gazing down into his eyes, a really sly smile planted on her face. "Max, what the hell did ya do that for?" he shouted at her, confused by what was happening.

"I wanted to show you your surprise," she continued to smirk as she spoke in a voice that sounded...oddly aroused.

"What surprise?" Bert frowned at her.

"Your surprise is right here on top of you," Maxie said, her grin growing a notch in size.

"I don't get it...?" Bert was so confused. She was his surprise? He wasn't quite understanding what was going on...then again, the alcohol in his system probably wasn't helping him.

"Let me just put it in simple terms for you, Bert," Maxie replied as she continued to straddle her confused boyfriend. "It's been nearly twenty years since I've spent the night with a man...and...and I can't wait any longer. I _need _a man's touch..." She sounded _very _aroused.

"Eh...? What are you tryin' to say, babe..." Bert wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Bert..." Maxie leaned in close and whispered into her boyfriend's ear. "I _want _you, Bert Raccoon...you don't even know how _badly _I want you right now..."

Bert quickly noticed she only had lingerie on and realized what his girlfriend wanted...she wanted him to sleep with her! In the past, Bert would have found this a very enticing offer...but he wasn't so sure this was such a great idea. "_Ralphie boy told me not to take advantage of her; to treat her well..._" his alcohol-addled mind remembered. "_Is this right..._?" Bert gazed up at Maxie. "Max...I...I don't know about this..."

"C'mon, Bert. When was the last time you spent the night with a real woman?" she winked at him.

"Uh..." Bert tried to think. "I believe it's been...ah...well, it's been more than a decade, I think..."

"It has been so long since either of us have spent the night with somebody special," Maxie winked at him again. "We can change that, Bert...I'm all yours tonight..."

"Is this right?" Bert asked. "You've had a few beers...I think you might be a little drunk. I don't want to take advantage of ya, Max...I don't think that's right of me!"

"It's _not _taking advantage of me..." she continued to slyly grin, "I want this. You think I haven't thought about this before? I have wondered what it would be like for a long time...and I want to find out."

"I just don't know, Max..." Bert protested. Much to his embarrassment, it was at that very moment Bert's bent nose decided to straighten itself out. "Oh, dammit!" Bert blushed as he covered his now straightened nose. "Stupid nose..." Bert had always hated that his nose tended to pop up when he found himself getting aroused; he wished there was something he could do about that. But he couldn't help himself: even if he wasn't sure it was right to sleep with her while she was a little inebriated, it was _definitely _arousing having his girlfriend straddle him, practically begging him to make love to her...

Seeing Bert's nose straighten itself out wildly excited Maxie. "Oh, Bert, you didn't tell me about that..." she giggled. "You may be telling me one thing, but your nose is giving away what you're _really _thinking...you want this as much as I do, I can tell!"

"Well..." Bert had to admit, "it really _has _been a long time since I've slept with a woman..." He figured if this was what she really wanted, there couldn't be any harm in giving her what she wanted.

"Why don't we do something about that..." she smirked as their noses touched. Bert found that look in her eyes _quite _arousing.

"Well, if it's what you want, babe..." Bert replied, giving into her request.

"You've made the right choice, Bert-believe me. Now come here, my little goofball..." she smirked as she quickly wrapped her arms around Bert and pulled him into a huge kiss. Bert was surprised by how impassioned her kiss actually was...he could tell she deeply desired him...

* * *

><p>Bert awoke early in the morning with a start. "Huh, what a weird dream," he said, scratching his head as he observed the morning light breaking through the window. "I dreamed that Max and I did the dirty with each other. Sure doesn't seem like the Max I know!" Bert was glad that had only been a dream.<p>

Suddenly, Bert became aware of something. This was not his bedroom...where the hell was he? "There should be a bunk over my head and a crib in this room..." he whispered. Bert was so confused.

He then became aware of something else..."_Good __grief! I'm...naked!_" It was true. Bert realized he was currently unclothed...which was extremely unusual. Bert normally went to sleep in his sweater and would change in the morning into one of his many identical looking lucky sweaters. He _never_ went to bed in the nude. "_I wonder where the hell my sweater is...?_"

Bert then became aware of the sensation of soft breathing against his neck. "What the hell...?" Bert glanced to his right to find...

...a sleeping Maxie Ringtail, snuggled up next to him, a big smile planted on her face. He also noticed that she was wearing his sweater and her clothes were strewn about the floor.

Realization struck Bert. What he thought had been a dream...had been reality. "_Oh...crap..._" Bert thought to himself. "_I...I bedded Max_._ Oh God! She was half-drunk and I took advantage of her...oh my God. What the hell is wrong with me?_"

At that moment, Maxie gently stirred as she rubbed her eyes. She sat up and gazed at her goofy lover. "Well, well, good morning, Bert," she smiled at him, greeting him with a kiss on the nose. "I can't believe you're here with me."

"Er...ah...good morning, babe," Bert nervously said. He wasn't sure exactly what to say with her. "Uh, Max...about last night..."

"What about it?" Maxie continued to smile. Last night had possibly been the happiest night of her whole life to date...she had slept with the man of her dreams. She had been a little inebriated when it had happened, but she still remembered most of it...and it brought a _huge _smile to her face. She had definitely enjoyed letting Bert explore her body. It had felt right to her, sharing herself with the man she loved...

"Max..." Bert lowly said, sounding rather apologetic. "I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to take advantage of ya like that. I used to be like that when I was younger...I should know better now that I'm middle-aged! I thought I had more self-control than that..."

Maxie was surprised by her boyfriend's apology. "Bert, why are you apologizing to me...? Do you regret what we did last night?"

"Kinda..." Bert admitted. "I mean, you were coming onto me and telling me how much you wanted me...I couldn't control myself. I gave in and...I realize that was probably the alcohol speaking for ya last night..."

Maxie placed an arm around her man. "You didn't take advantage of me, Bert. Believe me," she winked at him. "That was _not_ just the alcohol talking last night..."

"Really?" Bert was surprised.

"Bert, it's been so long since I've been with a man...more than once at night I've gazed out my window wishing I had a man with me. I've lived a pretty lonely life, you know..."

"I know that," Bert nodded.

"Well, after I fell in love with you, I did wonder from time to time what it would be like for us to sleep together...I'd wonder how good you would actually be in bed," Maxie admitted. "Of course I thought I was just being silly at the time..."

"Huh," Bert said to himself. "I never thought you would be thinking of me in _that _way...I mean, I'm not all _that _attractive..."

"Well, in my books you are," she softly smiled at him.

"Thanks," he smiled back at her. "Tell me, babe...was I as good as you thought I might be?"

A huge smirk came to Maxie's face. "You were even _better_, Bert," she chuckled. "I _loved _it. I think there was a part of me that really needed that..." she winked.

"Heheh...I guess that makes me 'Bert Raccoon: Ace Love Machine', huh?" he joked.

"Oh yeah," she laughed as well. "Do tell me, Bert...what did you think of me? Was I good enough for you? Did you like my body?"

"Did I?" Bert couldn't lie to himself...he had enjoyed their little romp last night. Words really didn't describe how it felt to feel a woman's embrace again after all these years. "You were really...something there last night, Max. I must say...you were more than good."

"I was, huh?" Maxie smirked.

"Yeah..." Bert replied. From what he could remember, Maxie had been quite _aggressive_...that had come as a surprise to him. "You were _really_ a naughty little girl last night, Max..."

"Did I surprise you?" she asked him.

"Oh yeah...I mean, Max, I always thought you were a pretty shy woman...I mean, you're a mother, after all. I never really thought you could be so..._wild_," he laughed.

"I guess I have hidden talents," she cheekily grinned.

"I can see that," Bert smirked.

"Hey, Bert...how would you like to do that again...? I think I'm in the mood..." she said in the most seductive voice she could muster as she placed a finger to Bert's chin.

"Whoa, right now? A little frisky there, aren't ya?" Bert asked.

"Haha, well, you and I haven't had that many opportunities for love...I think we have some...catching up to do..." she smirked at him as she traced her finger on her goofy lover's chest.

A sly grin came to Bert's face as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. "Heheh, I like the way you're thinking, Max..."

"Well, come here, my little studmuffin..." Maxie said as the two of them embraced each other with a kiss. They were quickly interrupted, however, by the ringing of the telephone that sat on the stand next to Maxie's bed.

"Dammit, not the telephone..." Bert groaned in between their smooch. "Don't get that, Max...let's just...pretend it's...not even ringing..."

"Sorry, Bert," she sighed as she broke off their kiss. "We will _definitely _do that again, sometime. I definitely promise you that!" Maxie let go of her boyfriend and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"This is Maxie Ringtail, right?" a somewhat familiar voice on the other end of the line asked her.

"Yes, that's me. Is this Ralph Raccoon?" She knew that voice sounded pretty familiar.

"That would be me," Ralph answered her. "Didn't Bert go stargazing with you last night?"

"Why, yes, he did; why do you ask?" Maxie replied.

"Ah, damn..." Bert said under his breath. "_I totally forgot about Ralphie boy and Melissa. They've probably been up half the night worrying about me. Ralphie boy is gonna give me such a lecture when he finds out...I hate being lectured; I'm not a little kid anymore..._"

"Well, Bert didn't come home last night," Ralph said in a bit of a worried voice. "Melissa and I were just wondering if you knew where he might be. I know he's an adult and he can do what he wants within reason, but it's not like him to not show up at home without telling us where he's off to."

"Oh, ah," Maxie found herself struggling to answer that question. She wasn't about to tell Ralph that she and Bert had spent the night together as she didn't want to get her boyfriend in trouble. "Bert's right here. He's staying at my house."

"Staying at your house...? Now why would he be there?" Ralph wondered.

"He had too much to drink and I didn't think he could make it back home on his own," Maxie fibbed, thinking it up out of the blue. "So I decided to let him sleep on my couch for the night. I think he's sobered up now; I think he'll be on his way home soon."

Ralph sighed. "That sounds like the old Bert I know so well. He's gotten himself into trouble more times than I can count. Seeing as you're his girlfriend, I wonder how _you _deal with him...?"

"Oh, he can be quite a handful sometimes," Maxie laughed. "But I still love him anyways."

"Well...it's a good thing you're looking out for him. Sorry to bother you this early, Maxie, we just wanted to know where Bert was."

"No problem. I'll send him over as soon as he feels ready. Bye, Ralph," Maxie said as she hung up the phone.

Bert was surprised-his girlfriend had helped cover for him. "Wow, thanks Max. I think I owe ya one for that."

"No problem," Maxie smiled at him. "I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

"Yeah...I think I gotta get going, Max. Ralphie boy and Melissa probably want me back home real soon."

"Now hold on there, Bert," Maxie reassured him, "you don't need to go so soon. Say...how would you like to stay for breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" A nice homecooked breakfast sounded like a nice idea to him. "That'd be nice, babe...ya know, I haven't really had a good breakfast lately. Melissa hasn't been able to really cook and Ralphie boy...Well, let's just say he wasn't born to be a chef!" Bert laughed. "So, you will be fixing peanut butter with it, won't you?"

"Of course," Maxie chuckled. "But first, I think a nice hot shower is in order..." Maxie got out of her bed and stretched her arms. "Hey, you know what Bert? Your sweater actually fits me quite well," she chuckled.

"Heheh, I noticed that," Bert laughed as well. "Kinda hot seein' you wear it..."

"Hey, I'm your biggest fan," she chuckled. "But I'm sure you want it back...here you go, Bert." Maxie took off Bert's sweater and handed it back to him. The now unclothed Maxie gathered her clothes up off the floor. "You've got more at home, don't you?" she asked her boyfriend.

"I have a whole closet full of 'em," Bert nodded.

"Maybe you could lend me one of them..." Maxie thought aloud. Suddenly, a naughty little grin came across her face. "Hey, I've got an idea, Bert...how would you like to come join me in the shower...?" she longingly smiled at him. She was still in the mood for love...

Bert's ears perked up as he grinned. "Woah, no foolin'?"

"Mmm-hmm," Maxie nodded as she mischievously grinned. "After all, I might need a little help washing up in there..."

"Hehheh, you don't have to say anymore!" Bert grinned as he threw his sweater aside and followed her to the shower. He realized he may have gotten a little bit of a handful in Maxie. He had expected her to be a friendly but quiet woman...he _cert__ainly _didn't expect her to be such a wild lover. "_But ya know," _he grinned to himself, _"I could **definitely** get used to this..._"

* * *

><p>A couple hours passed and Bert was heading back home to the Raccoondominium."That Max," Bert grinned to himself, "what a woman." He couldn't help but grin thinking about their little chase across the bed sheets the previous night, not to mention the little fun they had in the shower this morning..."<em>She's a good lover and she got me out of trouble with Ralph. Plus she can cook really well! Yep, she's a keeper, alright,<em>" he smiled. "_I wonder how all this'll affect our relationship..._" He didn't know how it would affect their relationship in the long run. Would it bring them closer together? Would it cause things to become awkward between them? Bert certainly felt the former was more likely. He did feel a genuine bond with her. "_I think we'll be doing stuff like that a lot from now on..._"

Bert walked up to the Raccoondominium and knocked on the front door. "I wonder what Ralphie boy is gonna say?"

Sure enough, Ralph answered the door. "Ah, Bert! There you are!" Ralph sounded a little relieved. "Melissa and I were up half the night! We were worried you got yourself into trouble or something."

"Well, it wasn't the brightest idea to drink a whole twelve-pack of beer last night," Bert admitted, fibbing to Ralph. He figured he'd stick to the story Maxie had told Ralph over the phone. "Damn, my head hurts..."

"Maxie didn't have anything to drink, did she?" Melissa asked from the couch where she was sitting, a pillow propped up behind her to support her back.

"Nah," Bert said. "She said she didn't like alcohol. Ah well, her loss," he shrugged.

"Maybe she's a little more mature when it comes to some things," Ralph said. "I find it odd she didn't try to stop you, though..."

"Well, she put a trash can by the couch in case I had to throw up," Bert said. "I think I'm gonna go upstairs and lie down, and maybe this damn hangover will go away..."

"Sounds fine," Melissa said. "We're just glad you're back home, Bert."

"Yeah," Bert said as he headed for the stairs. He was relieved his friends had bought into his and Maxie's fib.

As Bert turned to go upstairs, Ralph noticed something...unusual on Bert's neck. "Bert, what is that on your neck?"

"What's what on my neck?" Bert didn't know what Ralph was talking about.

Ralph took a closer look at his old friend's neck. He was quite surprised, to say the least, by what it seemed to be. "Bert, is that..."

"What are you talking about?" Bert shrugged. He honestly didn't know what Ralph was looking at.

"Bert, that's a _hickey_ on your neck..." Ralph said, a frown coming across his face. Ralph was beginning to realize what had _really _gone on between his friend and Maxie last night...

Bert quickly glanced in a nearby mirror. Sure enough, Bert saw a rather noticeable hickey on the side of his neck. "_Oh boy__..._" Bert thought to himself as he remembered his romantic encounter with Maxie the previous night. "_I remember now...she gave me a little...love bite last night...she really _**_was _**_wild last night!_" Bert had been unaware he was carrying a mark of their passion, but it had pretty much blown his cover. "Dammit..." he said under his breath.

"Bert, follow me into the kitchen. We have a few things we need to discuss..." Ralph said in a rather ominous voice. Bert could tell his friend was disappointed with him.

Melissa gazed at her husband and Bert as they entered the kitchen. "I think Bert's really got himself into a jam there..." she chuckled to herself.

Bert and Ralph stood in the kitchen as Ralph glared at his mischievous friend. "Bert, I _know _what you and Maxie did last night..."

"We didn't do anything like that, Ralph! I think you have your mind in the gutter there," Bert hastily replied. He was trying to think of something to throw Ralph off.

But he couldn't fool his friend. "Dammit, Bert! You didn't spend the night on her couch recovering from a night of drinking. You _slept _with her!"

Bert knew he had been caught red-handed...there was no point in trying to lie about it anymore. "Yeah...yeah...I did, Ralphie boy..." he admitted.

"Bert, I thought I told you not to take advantage of her! Did you even use protection?" Ralph glared at him.

"Uh...no..." Bert sheepishly admitted.

"You haven't learned anything since we were in college, have you?" Ralph continued to glare at Bert.

"If you must know, Ralphie boy...I wasn't sure it was the right thing...But it wasn't my idea. It was hers."

"Yeah right, Bert," Ralph rolled his eyes. "She was probably half-drunk and you took advantage of her. Don't you understand you're not supposed to do things like that?"

"I swear I'm not lying to ya about that, Ralph! She told me she had a surprise in store for me up in her bedroom and when I went up there she jumped me. She practically _begged _me to sleep with her, Ralphie boy. It was...a surprise, to say the least. I don't think I've ever had a woman come onto me like that before! Hell, right after you hung up, Max and I had some more fun in the shower together!"

"So you're saying she came onto you," Ralph said, a little surprised by that. He wasn't sure if his friend was serious...the Bert he knew from his youth was always trying to put the moves on the ladies.

"Yeah," Bert said. "I didn't know if it was right, but she told me it was what she wanted. How could I say no to that? I'm not ashamed of what I did," Bert proudly smiled. "I don't regret what I did. Hell, she was happy! I'm glad I could make her happy."

"Huh," Ralph said, scratching his head. "Well, that would explain why she lied to me over the phone..." Ralph wasn't as mad at his friend seeing that his and Maxie's night of passion had been consensual, but still he thought he needed to speak to Bert about some things. "Well, you two are both adults, so I can't really tell you what you can and can't do. But Bert, if you two are going to do that, I think you at least need to start protecting yourself. Condoms are your friends."

"Why do I need those?" Bert shrugged. "Max hasn't been with a man in probably close to twenty years. What are the odds she's got a disease of some kind that she gave to me?"

"It's not very likely," Ralph admitted, "but it's not impossible. That's not what I'm worried about, Bert...what I'm worried about is that you might end up getting her pregnant."

"I don't think that'll happen..."

"Bert, you don't know that. I know she's the same age as Melissa, so the odds of that happening are not very likely. But what if it _does _happen? She has already had one child out of wedlock and it practically ruined her life before she met you. Do you want her to go through that stress again?" Ralph glared at him.

"No...but c'mon, Ralphie boy. You think I would abandon her like that guy did? No, I'd be there for her and the kid," Bert said. A part of him was still hoping someday he could have kids of his own...

"I don't doubt you would, but she probably wouldn't want that, Bert...Think of her, at least. Unless you two are married, it's not such a good idea unless you protect yourself."

"Fine..." Bert said, although he felt it would be pretty embarrassing buying condoms from behind the counter at Willow's Store...

Meanwhile, Melissa was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She overheard her husband and Bert's conversation. "So, Bert and Maxie shared a special moment together last night, huh?" she remarked. "Well...at least they're happy!" Melissa tried to think on the bright side. "_Though Ralph is right...Bert should do the right thing and protect himself if their relationship __is going to take that kind of turn. No need to bring another unwanted child into the world..._"

Speaking of children, Melissa placed her paws on her enormous belly. "Our little Victoria is almost here," she cheerfully smiled to herself. It had been a long nine months for her. She had experienced bouts of depression and had constant back pain. But at least Ralph had been there to cheer her up and give her a nice massage when she felt she needed one. She had gained a grand total of thirty-seven pounds throughout her pregnancy, but she was hopeful she could drop that weight. "_I discussed it with Nicole and she said she would try to help me drop these extra pounds after the baby arrives,_" she thought. It had been an adventure for her, perhaps the biggest adventure she and Ralph had ever embarked on. But now, it was almost over. Their baby was due to arrive any day. "I know it, too," she quietly said to herself. "I look like a dead ringer for the Goodsneer Blimp, almost," she chuckled. "You'll be here soon, Victoria," she smiled.

At that moment, Melissa felt a very odd sensation inside of her...it felt as if something had just burst deep inside her. At that moment, Melissa experienced an even odder sensation. She quickly glanced down and observed some fluid slowly dripping down her furry legs. Melissa realized what had just happened: the baby had just decided it was ready.

"Raaaaaaaaaalph!" she shouted loudly for her husband. "Ralph, come here, quick!"

"Hold on a minute, honey," Ralph calmly replied. "I have a few more things I need to discuss with Bert."

"Ralph, this can't wait! Please, come here!" she frantically shouted for him. This really _couldn't _wait.

Ralph quickly raced into the living room as Bert peered out the kitchen. Ralph discovered the floor in front of the couch was a little wet. "Melissa, is this what I think it is...?" He had a feeling he knew what was wrong...

"Yes, Ralph! I think...I think my water just broke! Ralph, the baby's going to be here...TODAY!" she loudly shouted at him. "We need to get to the hospital...as soon as possible!"

Ralph immediately panicked. He'd mentally prepared himself for this situation, but now that it was actually happening, he forgot everything in a hurry. "Oh no! What do we do? We don't have a car...how do we get to the hospital? We can't take our tandem bike! Oh God, what are we gonna do, Melissa?"

"Think of something, Ralph! I don't want my baby born here...please, call the emergency services...do _something_, Ralph!" Melissa was frantic knowing she was going into labor. She knew today was going to be an adventure for sure...

"I'm on it, Melissa, I'm on it!" Ralph raced to the telephone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, emergency services, this is Ralph Raccoon. My wife is going into labor and she needs help, right away! Please, hurry if you can!"

"Huh? No, Ralph, this is Sophia Sneer speaking." "_Dammit,_" Ralph thought. In his panic he had completely forgotten the number for emergency services and had instead dialed the first number that came to his mind: Sneer Mansion.

"Sorry, Sophia, but Melissa's water just broke...and...and...oh, I don't know what to do!" Ralph continued to frantically panic. "She needs to get to the hospital...soon!"

"So she's having the baby today? You must be excited knowing you're about to be a father, Ralph!" Sophia said in her typical bubbly tone.

"Yes, but I'm also...scared! She has to get to the hospital!" Ralph said in a very jittery voice.

Sophia was silent for a moment. "Hold on, I think I have an idea..." Ralph could hear her calling for her husband. "Hey, Cedric! Ralph and Melissa are on the line! They're about to have the baby!"

Cedric's voice came on the line. "So, Ralph, you say Melissa's going into labor, huh?"

"Yes, Cedric!" Ralph shouted.

"Don't worry, Ralph. I'm going to help you out here. I'll be over there as soon as I can. I'll just fire up the limo and we'll be over there as soon as we can, okay? Hang in there, Ralph."

"The limo? Isn't it usually the pigs' job to drive that?" Ralph asked.

"No, not always," Cedric replied. "Sometimes, I like to drive it myself. It's nice to take the limo out for a country drive every now and then. Just...hang in there, Ralph. I'll see you as soon as I get there!"

"See you then," Ralph said as he hung up. "Okay, Melissa, we're in good hands. Cedric and Sophia are coming over in the limo and they're going to help get us to the hospital. We'll be there soon, honey, just...hang on!"

"I'm hanging on as best as I CAN!" Melissa let out a loud scream as she felt a contraction coming. But at least she would be able to get to the hospital in time...

* * *

><p>A couple hours have passed and Ralph was in the waiting room of Evergreen Hospital. Cedric and Sophia had showed up after about half an hour and had managed to get the expectant couple to the hospital where their baby would be born. Bert had stayed behind to call their friends so they could make it to the hospital as well, but he had just recently come into the waiting room himself. Sophia and Cedric were there too, as they had left the pigs behind so they could look after their twins. Maxie and Annie Ringtail had showed up as well, and so had Lisa. More of their friends would surely be coming...<p>

Ralph was pacing back and forth. This was the most anxious time of his life. His wife was in the delivery room, ready to give birth to their daughter Victoria. Ralph had remembered that horrible nightmare he had in which Melissa had died giving birth to their child, so he had made absolutely sure to tell her he loved her as she was being wheeled to the delivery room. Ralph felt at least a little relieved knowing that in case something bad happened Melissa would at least die thinking about how much he loved her...but he didn't want anything bad to happen to her or their child. He wanted to see her again...and he hoped their baby would make it.

"Nervous there, Ralphie boy?" Bert asked.

"Of course I am," Ralph said. "My wife is in there having our baby! You know Bert, she could die in there...I can't help but worry about her..."

"I'm glad I'm not in your shoes right now," Bert said. "This is gonna be a _long _day...isn't it?"

"It looks that way," Cedric said. "You remember how long it took Sophia to have the twins."

"Yeah," Bert sighed. "Today looks like a boring day for sure!"

"Say, Bert," Sophia asked as she observed the mark on Bert's neck, "where'd you get that mark on your neck? Did something bite you?"

Bert and Maxie, who happened to be sitting right next to him, both blushed almost simultaneously. "Uh...huh...well, you could say that," Bert sheepishly grinned.

"I think it was a mosquito; Bert and I were out stargazing last night," Maxie said. She didn't want Sophia finding out because she knew Sophia would probably blab to everyone she met about it.

"Looks awful bad for a mosquito bite..." Sophia shrugged and went back to reading her magazine.

Lisa, who happened to be sitting next to Bert, glanced at Bert's neck as well. "I see you and Maxie have been enjoying yourselves..." she quietly remarked.

"You could say that..." Bert whispered. "I'm definitely glad you hooked us up."

"Well...anything for a good friend," Lisa modestly shrugged. "It's nice to see you two happy."

Bert then turned his attention towards his girlfriend. "Maxie, you know Ralph knows about this, don't you?" Bert quietly asked his girlfriend. "Your little...love bite gave me away..."

"I already told Annie about it when she came home about an hour ago, just before you called me," Maxie whispered back. "She knows, too."

"I know what you two did," Annie whispered to her mother and her boyfriend.

"You don't think of me any different now that you know me and your mother...well,you know, right?" Bert quietly asked.

"No," Annie replied. "As I said, if Mom's happy-and I can tell she definitely is-I'm happy for her. I'd just prefer I don't have to see that at some point in the future. Mom, I don't want to really think of you in _that _way..."

"I may be your mother, Annie," Maxie whispered into her daughter's ear. "But I'm still a woman. I have my desires and urges just like we all do. Sometimes, I'd like to have them satisfied..." she smirked.

"I understand, but...please don't let me see that, okay?" she asked.

"We'll try our best," Bert whispered.

"Needless to say, I don't think I'll be telling Bentley about this..." Annie said under her breath. "It'd probably make him throw up."

"Where is my little buddy, anyways?" Bert asked.

"Bentley's got some afternoon classes...so he won't be here until later," Annie replied.

At that moment, George and Nicole came into the waiting room, along with Mille, George and Ralph's mother.

"I was wondering if you all were going to make it here," Ralph said as he momentarily stopped pacing.

"Hey, I couldn't miss my little brother becoming a Dad, could I?" George laughed. "This is one of the biggest moments of your life, after all!"

"Oh, I know..." Ralph said. He was practically on edge right now. Ralph did notice his Mom had come with them. "Ah, Mom, you made it!"

"I wasn't going to miss seeing my little Ralphie finally become a father," Millie smiled as she hugged her son. "Today is your big day."

"I know that, Mom," Ralph smiled.

"George and I were a little late becauze we had to pick up Millie from her house. She'z not all that mobile anymore," Nicole replied.

"Well, at least you're all here...except...where is Bentley?"

"Bentley has a few college courses in the afternoon, so he'll probably show up later," George replied.

Time passed and already a few hours had gone by. Ralph was continuing to pace back and forth across the waiting room floor.

"How much longer must I wait...?" Ralph randomly said out loud. He was feeling terribly anxious and nothing his friends could say or do was really helping him out much.

"Oh, it'll probably be a while longer, little brother," George said. "Why aren't you in there anyways? I was in the delivery room when Nicole had both Lisa and Bentley."

"George, I told you I'm squeamish," Ralph nervously said. "I think if I were to see my baby coming out of Melissa, I'd probably pass out from the shock."

"Well, someone's a fraidy cat..." George chuckled, but his wife...and his mother both simultaneously slapped him. "OW!"

"George, thez iz your brother'z big moment," Nicole frowned at her husband. "Do not try to ruin it for him, okay?"

"You know better than to make fun of your brother at your age, George," his mother scolded him.

"Sorry, sorry...how long's Melissa been in there?" he asked.

"Ah..." Ralph glanced at the clock on the wall. "Seven hours."

"You probably ztill have a while longer to wait..." Nicole replied. "Az you probably know it took me almozt zixteen hourz to have Liza, and a little over ten to have Bentley..."

"Arrgh, I can't wait much longer!" Ralph said as he banged his fist on the wall.

More time had passed. In the meantime while Ralph and friends were in the waiting room, Melissa was on a bed in the hospital's delivery room, in a great deal of pain. Melissa couldn't even _begin _to describe the pain she was in...she didn't have words for it. The medicine had lessened the pain, but this was still more pain than she had ever been in her life. It felt to her as if her bottom jaw had been stretched over the top of her head. Melissa glanced at the monitor she was hooked up to, which showed her vital signs. So far, everything seemed good...she hoped it stayed that way.

A swarm of nurses were surrounding Melissa, as she felt another painful contraction coming on. Melissa screamed loudly in pain as the contraction gradually subsided. "Oh God..." she cried. "Please...get this kid out of me!"

"Mrs. Raccoon, you're doing great," one of the nurses, Nurse Kenowha, said to her in a reassuring voice. "If you give us just a few more good pushes, I think the baby'll be here in just a few more minutes."

Melissa quickly wondered to herself how long she had been in labor for. "_It can't have been for more than __a few hours, but it feels like this has been going on for days..._" It didn't really matter to her anyways. Melissa knew her baby was almost here...she could tell. It was almost over. She was about to be a mother...

Melissa groaned as she felt another contraction coming. "Push!" one of the nurses shouted at her. Melissa did as she was told; her face twisted as she groaned, pushing as hard as she could.

After a few more contractions, Nurse Kenowha had some news for her. "We can see your baby's head, Mrs. Raccoon. Just give us one more big push and your baby should be here!"

Melissa was excited. Only one more push and her baby would finally enter the world. But she didn't know if she could withstand this any longer. "I don't know, Nurse..." Melissa weakly said as she heavily panted, clearly fatigued. "I'm...I'm exhausted!"

"Relax, Mrs. Raccoon," the nurse said in a comforting voice.

Melissa did as she was told. She held her breath and gritted her teeth as she pushed as hard as she could. As she did this, many of her cherished memories with Ralph flashed through her mind. She thought of when she first met him, when they had first become a couple and shared their first kiss, the first time they had made love, the day Ralph asked her to marry him, the day she had tied the knot with him...All these and many other memories flashed by in a haze. Melissa realized this was the start of a whole new chapter in their lives. Many new memories would be formed over the next few years..."_I wonder what the fu__ture will bring us..._"

The next thing she knew, Melissa exhaled as she heard the sound of a baby raccoon crying. "_My baby!_" she excitedly thought as the nurses held up the crying newborn, still attached to her by its umbilical cord, for her to see.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Raccoon!"

* * *

><p>Time has passed and Ralph was still pacing up and down the waiting room floor. Annie had decided to leave shortly after Bentley arrived; she planned to see the new baby as soon as she possibly could. Sophia, Cedric, Lisa, George, Nicole, and Millie had all fallen asleep, while Bert and Maxie were still awake, but Maxie would have to leave soon as she had work early the next morning, as she sometimes worked mornings when someone couldn't make it in.. It was about one-thirty in the morning.<p>

"Gee, Ralph" Bert chuckled seeing his anxious friend. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up! You don't need to be _that _nervous..."

"Knock it off, Bert," Ralph quickly shot at him, "I can't help _but _be nervous knowing my wife is in there having my kid. I know you all tried to help...but, I can't help it! I'm worried about Melissa and my child. What do you think you would do if Maxie was in there having your kid?"

"Huh, I'd probably be nervous too," Bert admitted. Bert then glanced towards his girlfriend. "Say, Max, that gets me thinking. Do you wonder what it would be like if we had kids? You know I do like kids..."

Maxie admitted to herself that she hadn't really thought about that. She realized that one day, if she and Bert stayed together long enough, they actually _might _have a child together. Maxie wasn't sure if she wanted to have another baby. Annie had been born under the worst circumstances possible...but maybe having another child wouldn't be so bad. "_I wonder what a child of ours would look like..._" Maxie imagined her and Bert happily married, with a small child in their hands as Annie cheerfully looked on at her tiny half-sibling. The child looked a lot like its mother, but had its father's bent nose. "_That wouldn't be so bad..._"

But then Maxie stopped herself. She realized it would probably be at least a couple of years before she and Bert could realistically think about that. "_By then I'll be almost forty. What are my odds of having a child then? Little to none..._"It dawned upon her that were her and Bert's relationship to progress far enough, it would be unlikely that she could provide him children..."Uh, Bert, I think it's a little too early for us to be thinking about that, don't you? We have a long ways to go before we're ready for that to happen."

"Yeah..." Bert nodded. "You're right. We've got a ways to go..." Bert and Maxie knew their relationship would have many peaks and valleys ahead of them, but they hoped they would be able to stick together through them.

At that moment, Nurse Peck walked into the waiting room. Ralph was so nervous, he immediately grabbed the nurse.

"NURSE!" Ralph shouted at Nurse Peck at the top of his lungs, waking all his sleeping friends. "TELL ME HOW MY WIFE IS DOING! IS MELISSA OKAY? WHAT ABOUT MY BABY?" Ralph shook the nurse back and forth.

"Woah, woah!" Nurse Peck said as she got Ralph to let go of her. "Calm down, Mr. Raccoon! No need to get that excited!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ralph said. "Please...just tell me how my wife is doing. I'm really worried about her. Did she have the baby yet?"

"Mr. Raccoon, your wife is doing great!" Nurse Peck smiled at him. "She's had the baby, alright. Your wife is currently in the recovery room. It took quite a lot out of her, but she should make it. She asked if you could see your new son!"

_Son_? Ralph was confused. Surely, Nurse Peck had made an error. "Son? Nurse, I definitely know my wife was supposed to have a little girl. You must have her mixed up with another patient!"

"Your wife's name is Melissa Raccoon, right?" Nurse Peck asked him. Ralph nodded.

"No, Mr. Raccoon, I haven't made a mistake. Your wife has given birth to a healthy baby boy. He weighs...eight pounds and five ounces," the nurse informed him.

Ralph was stunned. Dr. Hensley had been pretty positive that their baby was a girl looking at the ultrasounds. As it turned out, the doctor had been wrong. "How could Dr. Hensley be wrong...?"

"Well, Mr. Raccoon," Nurse Peck replied. "Ultrasounds are not always 100% accurate. Sometimes, they can be incorrect...like in this case. It's not the first time I've seen a 'Samantha' turn out to be a 'Samuel'...believe me!"

Ralph was still taking it all in...he was now the father of a baby boy. "May I see my wife and my son, Nurse?" he hopefully asked.

Nurse Peck smiled. "She wanted you to see him...of course you can! Just follow me." Nurse Peck headed for the door and instructed Ralph to follow her.

Bert and the rest of the gang gave Ralph a round of applause.

"Wow, I'm an uncle," George smiled. "How about that, Nicole?"

"Oh, I cannot wait to zee our new nephew," Nicole smiled.

"It's nice to see something nice happen in the Forest for once," Lisa chimed in.

"Three cheers for Ralph and Melissa and their new baby!" Bert smiled. Everyone cheered for the Forest's newest parents.

Cedric looked a bit bemused. "So Ralph and Melissa have a son...oh boy, Sophia...we bought them dresses for a little girl. You did save the receipts from the store, didn't you?"

"Uh...I don't think I did, Cedric," Sophia admitted.

Nurse Peck led Ralph to the end of a long hallway.

"Is this the room?" Ralph asked her.

"It is," Nurse Peck said as she opened the door. "Your wife is waiting to show you your son."

Ralph entered the small room. He immediately saw his beloved Melissa lying in a bed wearing a blue hospital gown. Ralph observed his wife admiring a small squirming bundle she held lovingly in her arms. This was what he had been waiting nine months to finally get to see in person. He could feel his heart racing.

Ralph came to Melissa's bedside and took a seat next to her. Melissa turned her gaze towards her husband and lightly smiled at him. Ralph could tell it had been a very difficult experience for her. She looked tired, woozy, and very worn out. Clearly giving birth had taken the fire out of her. But he could tell she was happy.

"Hi, sweetie," she said to him.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, honey," Ralph smiled at her. "I was so worried about you..."

"I think I'll be fine in the long run..." Melissa lightly smiled.

"How bad did it hurt...?" Ralph asked her.

"Ralph...I couldn't even begin to tell you how much it hurt. I don't think I even have words to describe that kind of pain..." Melissa sighed. "But it's all over now. And it was all worth it, too. Look what I have, Ralph," she smiled, looking very proud of herself. "This is our child."

"I'm surprised it's a boy," Ralph remarked. "I mean, I wanted a boy, but I was all prepared for a little girl..."

"I saw it, Ralph," Melissa replied. "This is a little boy...I'm really shocked, myself. I thought we were going to have a daughter and instead, we got a son." But that didn't disappoint her any...Melissa was proud to be a new mother, regardless of the gender of her baby.

Ralph realized how foolish they had been in giving their child a name before it was even born. They had been totally prepared for a daughter...and instead were now the proud parents of a little boy. "Oh gosh...Sophia got us dresses for our child...and we have a boy...What are we going to do, honey? Most of the stuff we got was for a little girl!"

"I'm sure our friends won't mind buying us new gifts on such short notice," Melissa replied. "I'm a little embarrassed considering we went so far as naming this child a girl's name and it ended up being a boy, but I'm still proud."

"I can tell," Ralph replied. He eagerly looked towards his crying infant son. "Melissa...may I hold him? I've been waiting for months and months for this moment..."

"Of course you can, sweetie," Melissa smiled as she handed the bundle to her husband. Ralph took the tiny infant into his arms.

Ralph and Melissa's son calmed down upon being placed in his father's arms. Ralph couldn't help but feel completely overwhelmed with emotion. This was one of the proudest moments of his whole life. He was now a new father. He felt proud of Melissa for having borne him a son. "I'm so proud of you, honey," Ralph smiled at her. He was well aware that this could be the only child they would ever have, so Ralph made sure the savor this moment while it lasted. It was sure to become a cherished memory...right up there with the day he married Melissa.

"I'm proud too," she weakly said. "I can't believe this little wonder came out of me."

Ralph observed his son's facial features. He wanted to see who their son looked most like. "Hmm...He looks a lot like you, Melissa...he's got your ears and your nose..." It was true...facially their child did closely resemble his mother. He had straight ears and a small, dainty little nose.

"I know," Melissa said. "I bet when he's all grown up he'll probably look like a male version of me."

"But he has my eyes," Ralph smiled. It was true-their son had his father's slightly droopy eyes. Ralph knew for sure that this was _his _son. No one was going to take him away from him. "Aww...he's so adorable, Melissa. Can you believe it? We made this little guy together."

"I hardly can, Ralph...but you're right. Isn't he just the cutest little thing?"

Ralph continued to hold his son as he tried to speak to him. "Hello there, son. Do you know who I am?"

The tiny kit gazed at his father.

"I'm your Daddy, and I'm glad you're here," Ralph laughed, still feeling joyous. A few tears slid down his face...this was the most emotional he'd felt in a long time.

Ralph handed their son back to his mother so she could hold him. "Oh, you are so cute," Melissa smiled at her tiny son as as she held him, a few tears streaming down her face as well. "How's it feel being a father, Ralph?" she asked her husband.

"How does it feel? Well, it feels pretty good so far," Ralph smiled at her. "That was worth waiting nine months. How do you feel about being a Mom, honey?"

"I'm glad," Melissa said. "I've been waiting for this moment for...close to two whole years now. For the last two years I've wanted a child, and now I finally have one. Thank you for making my wish to be a mother come true."

Suddenly, Ralph realized something. "Wait a minute, Melissa...do you know what today is?"

Melissa couldn't remember. "Uh...no, dear, I don't remember. What is today?"

"Today is September 14th...it's my birthday!" In the excitement of their first child's birth, the couple had practically forgotten Ralph's birthday. "The nurse told me our son was born a little after midnight...do you know what this means?"

"You and our son share a birthday?" Melissa asked him.

Ralph beamed. "Yes, we do! How about that, honey? Every year my son and I will get to celebrate our birthdays together!"

"That's wonderful, Ralph..." Melissa didn't sound as excited as she actually was...with the medicine still in her system she couldn't help but sound dopey. "Happy birthday, Ralph...sorry I didn't get you a present this year..."

"It's okay," Ralph responded as he stood up a bit and gave Melissa a kiss. "This is a good enough present. Hell...I think this is the greatest gift you've ever given me."

Ralph soon became lost in thought. Victoria had ended up being a 'Victor', after all. Now that they had a son...what were they going to call him? It seemed to be quite a predicament. Ralph didn't have the slightest clue.

"What do you think we should name him, honey?" Ralph asked his happy wife.

"Hmm...we were going to call him Victoria, right?" Melissa said. With drugs in her system, she couldn't exactly remember.

"We were," Ralph nodded.

"Why don't we just call him Victor? 'Victor Raccoon' sounds like a nice name to me," Melissa calmly replied.

"I don't know..." Ralph mused to himself. "Our child doesn't look much like a Victor to me...plus I don't think I like 'Victor Raccoon' all that much..."

"You don't like it? Hmm..." Melissa thought to herself, trying to think of a name. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with one on her own.

"Ralph, I don't know what we should call him...I have enough drugs in me right now that I can't even think up a good one. So," she slowly reached out of her bed and tapped her husband on his shoulder, "Ralph, I'm going to leave it up to you. I want _you _to name him."

"Me...?" Ralph was a little surprised. He hadn't really been thinking up any names during the earlier stages of Melissa's pregnancy. "I don't know any good names for our son!"

"Try to think of something, dear..." Melissa told him, trying to reassure him.

"I remember you thought Norville was a good boy's name," Ralph remembered. "I don't particularly like that name myself, but I remember you liked it...why don't we call him Norville?"

"Ralph, I want it to be a name you and I both agree on," Melissa replied. "If you don't like Norville, then you don't have to name our child that."

Ralph was lost. What would be a good name for their newly born son? He was having trouble thinking of a good name.

Suddenly, Ralph remembered a few things Melissa had told him. He remembered Melissa had wanted Mike to see his grandchild before he died, and he had not gotten that opportunity.

"'_I mean, I'm just so torn up he's never going to see his grandchild. I wanted him to see it and he never got the chance...'_" Ralph remembered her telling him a few months previously shortly after her father had died.

Suddenly, Ralph had an idea. "I've got it, honey. I know what we can call our son."

Melissa turned and smiled at him. "What do you want to call him, Ralph?"

"I think we should name our son...Michael," Ralph said.

"Michael?" Melissa was surprised. "You want to name our son after my father?"

"Yes, I do," Ralph nodded. "I know how much you wanted him to live long enough to see this, so I think this is the best way to honor your father's memory. Actually, you know what...I think my Dad would have liked to see this as well. How about...Michael Arthur Raccoon. What do you think, honey?"

"Ralph," Melissa said, feeling touched, "I'm...I don't know what to say...I think it's perfect. It's such a sweet way to remember both our fathers."

"I bet they're both up in a bar in heaven, smiling down on us right now," Ralph stated.

"Oh, I bet."

Ralph glanced at their new son Michael. He thought of what the future would hold for them as parents. He knew he and Melissa would be in for quite an experience...but he felt that he and Melissa could tackle any challenges this new chapter in their lives presented them.

Nothing else in the world seemed to matter to the happy couple. They were finally parents. At long last, their quest for a child of their own was finally complete.

"Welcome to the Evergreen Forest, Michael Raccoon..." Ralph whispered to his tiny son.

**END CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**STORY COMPLETE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** And that's it! With this chapter finished, I'm sad to say you've come to the end of "Beat the Clock". It's been a long journey, but at long last Ralph and Melissa are parents. It's been a very up and down journey, but at last their child has arrived. Surprisingly I have only a few notes for this chapter...

Bert and Maxie...well, that would have had to happen at some point. Perhaps they shouldn't have gotten inebriated...but what's happened has happened. I figured it was about time something good happened to Bert ;) Needless to say, Bert and Maxie's relationship is probably going to be one of the main focuses of the next story I'll be writing in this timeline I have going on (yes, I definitely will be writing another story in this timeline...) as they will experience a number of ups and downs together. You'll see other things such as Bert's continued friendship with Lisa, and Ralph might finally get his wish for peace and quiet at the Raccoondominium...Plus I think it's about time you met Bert's family. You'll probably see it sometime soon.

So Ralph and Melissa were expecting a daughter who they had already named Victoria, but they were surprised to discover the ultrasounds were wrong and their baby was really a little boy. Pretty embarrassing seeing that more than a few of their gifts they got at their baby shower were for a little girl...But they are finally parents. As for their son, if you're wondering why they named their child Michael...I thought that would be a sweet thing to do considering Melissa's father didn't live long enough to see his grandchild and the baby happens to be half-Mulligan. I'd actually like to thank one of my readers for helping me come up with that name (I'll give you extra credit below...). In the next story in this timeline I write, you'll see how Ralph and Melissa have adapted to becoming parents and you'll see their son growing up. I think their child will likely also go by "Mike" for short, although you'll have to remember that this Mike isn't the same character as Mike Mulligan (I hope that won't end up confusing anybody).

Well, that's "Beat the Clock". But I've realized it's been slightly over a year since I've written my first story, "Story of Ralph". A lot has changed in a year: I'm posting these stories on two different websites and I think the number of readers and fans has grown since I wrote "Story of Ralph". So, just like I did for that story, I'd like to write some special thanks to those of you who have reviewed/commented on this story, helped inspire me, or helped me in any other way:

**SPECIAL THANKS:**

kobebeef/kobebabeef-Thank you for all the support you have given me over this past year. I really couldn't do very much without any support, could I? I especially thank you for offering to proofread my work since I am an admittedly bad proofreader and when you have chapters this long it can be hard to catch your mistakes. And thanks for your suggestions and ideas as they really help me Good luck to you on your sequel to "Secrets and Heroes!"

ToonFan-Thank you for your nice reviews of my work and it has certainly been interesting talking to you over this past half-year. Romania is certainly a world away from where I live-I'll say your English is a hell of a lot better than my Romanian! I'm not quite as fond of Bentley as you are, but good luck in your writing endeavors.

raccoonqueen/JENNY-87-Thank you for your support you have given me over this past year. I also would like to thank you for helping inspire me for some parts of this story-such as Ralph and Melissa's baby shower-and also the name of Ralph and Melissa's new baby! I'll be honest and say you've probably been one of the nicest people I've talked to online. Here's wishing you and rkerekes13 all the best in your relationship :)

KrDoz-Thank you for your nice comments and thanks for the art you drew for "Story of Ralph". It really means a lot to me that someone actually thought enough of my stories to draw art for me. I honestly wasn't expecting much art-if any-to be drawn of my work. Really dig your art style. Good luck on your Schaeffer collorbration with Slayer-One.

CartoonLover16-A big thanks to you for going all out and drawing title cards for every chapter of "Story of Ralph" and every chapter of this story so far. Goes WAY above and beyond what I was expecting. You really didn't have to do that! I think that was very thoughtful. Good luck to you on your original stuff, which I will always at least give a look-see to. Also, I hope you're not disappointed that Ralph and Melissa's child didn't end up being Victoria.

jeh517-Thank you for your comments on this story. I really do hate to tell you this, but I don't think I'll be writing that "Bicyclops Built For Two" story you requested me to write...I personally just don't see how I'm going to write that. And to be honest I feel more like focusing on my own work than writing requests. But still, thanks for your comments.

HarpieKing07-Thanks for your nice reviews. Wow...Slovakia. Where I live there are probably very few people who have ever even heard of that country (for whatever reason, Americans are awful when it comes to geography and history). I will say your English is far better than my Slovakian-I probably couldn't speak a word of it, to be honest (it's not a very common language). I see you are a writer too-good luck to you in your endeavors!

ThomasSmurfFan-Thanks for your nice comments. Honestly, I am very flattered that you think I could be a writer for the Raccoons were it ever to be revived (honestly, the show's rating would have to be TV-14 in that case :D). But I couldn't do that. I'm not really interested in becoming a TV writer. Also, remember I'm American, so you can't really assume I'm familiar with a lot of British shows and cartoons (Because for whatever reason, America doesn't like to import shows from other countries). Thanks for your nice reviews, though!

David31-Thank you for your nice comments. It's been really nice talking to you for this past...almost year. Again you've probably been one of the nicest people I've talked to online (I've met people of varying degrees of niceness). I may not always agree with what you think (as should be expected-try to imagine if everyone did think the same about everything!), but I will still read and respond to what you have to say. Also, thanks for helping inspire the part where Melissa gets trapped in the Endless Echo Caverns...I needed a little idea like that to help me write that chapter!

YRT9401-Thank you for your comments. I see you are a bit fond of the Annoying Orange...who I'll just say I am not exactly fond of. Honestly if I came across the Annoying Orange I would just turn him into some orange juice and drink him. More seriously though, your art style is pretty good. It's not the best, but it's better than mine-I can draw only stick figures at best! Good luck to you.

And to all you who read those story but didn't write a review: I thank you for reading this story and watching it slowly grow. Without you I would have very little motivation to even finish these stories! I hope you'll stay tuned to whatever I have planned next.


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